Just A Nomad
by ARandomAccountName
Summary: I just wanted to be a nomad, that's all I've ever been for the past 700 years. But, we don't all get what we want, now do we? Now I'm stuck in a conflict between the powers of old and the rising stars of the vampire world. I'm a part of the old world, but does my future lie in the new? Can it be in the new? A storm is brewing, one that I will not be able to hide from. Unknown pairs
1. Introductions and Unwanted Meetings

**So...this is a thing. A new perspective on the Cullen's schemes and the situation they made for themselves. Expect minor manipulations of lore and possibly offensive beliefs. If you can't deal with differing perspectives or beliefs don't read this story. Don't ask about pairings, I don't even know yet. **

**Reviews are appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, nor am I making any money from this work. All characters outside of my own are property of Stephanie Myer...if I spelled her name right. I don't care enough about disclaimers to check. You lawyer types get it. Let's get started. **

Just A Nomad

Being a nomad wasn't as easy as coven dwellers thought.

For one you always have to be on the lookout, be it wars or construction, you always had to know what the human world was up to. Not that that was hard for me. I'm likely one of the few connected nomad vampires on the planet. Most of us simply read the news at some shop and bolt. I happen to be well versed in internet usage; I even have a phone!

Another problem was that you had to know your geography; if you got lost you couldn't just run in one direction and stumble upon a feeding ground. Yes, we did have super speed, but that took effort, massive amounts if you were going long distance, and that drained you faster than anything. It was possible for a vampire to die of malnourishment or starvation, we are still mortal.

The final large problem, one that I severely lack in, is the ability to defend yourself from other vampires. Be it a coven you stumbled upon or fellow nomads, there was no law saying you couldn't kill other vampires as you pleased. I attempted to remedy this by knowing of where known covens lived.

Alaska was pretty off-limits, the Denali sisters lived there with whomever they wanted to with impunity from the Volturi due to some diplomatic arrangement made centuries ago. They were some of the older vampires around, meaning they respected the Volturi's authority. Say what you will about them, but they had kept us hidden for millennium. Perhaps not the current leadership, but the idea and organization certainly had.

The current vampire political climate was rather delicate, and left me little option in my next target. While close to Alaska, Canada separated the two locations, meaning that I would have little to worry about. The Southern vampires of the USA were not very accepting right now due to an internal power struggle, one ambitious nomads were flocking to.

If there is a rule for being a nomad outside of doing the Voltrui's bidding, it's never retrace your steps. This left me two options, Canada, which I was not too keen on going to due to it's rather unique population distribution, or the State of Washington. Specifically Forks Washington. It was close to a major population center but the town was small enough to avoid too many questions from higher government authorities should humans and wildlife disappear in small numbers. I am planning on staying there for more than a few months after-all. This whole Southern war thing needs to die down sometime.

The only problem with this very ideal location was that it is a possible camping ground for the pseudo-nomad Cullen coven. They are the closest things you get to when it comes to political enemies of the Volturi and an authority that can override their more minor laws with little worry. The Cullen's power alone was enough to cause caution, but the network of allies the Cullen head has formed is more than enough to cause the Voltrui to allow them to live in peace.

What were the odds of them being there now? Slim at best, they had countless safe-house locations dotted around the world. They were also known for their compassion, understanding, and tolerance. This had made them, likely unknowingly, into the nomad's ally should they be under fire from another coven or nomad group. It was rather amusing to think about the coven's cluelessness on why nomads always found them; it wasn't by accident.

So, even if I was to find them, it wouldn't really matter all too much. I could just say 'hi' and then leave after a few days. To replenish my strength of course, I would never take my chances. I hand't lived for 700 years just to be killed by the 'kindest' vampire coven on the planet.

My decision made, I packed up my many books, maps, and other scholarly items and began my journey to the great gloomy state of Washington. Perhaps now is the perfect time for introductions?

I was born and raised in England, my parents were nobles in the court of Duke William and we were a rather wealthy set of nobles due to our position as 'favorites'. Growing up I had been taught about the power of knowledge, how knowing things was more powerful than being able to take action. This notion would rule over my life for many centuries to come. My parents were relatively loving, but compared to this age's idea of parenting they were the worst. So I tend not to think about those silly notions of 'soft' parenting. I turned out just fine! If a little immortal and murdery.

Moving on, I married a prominent noble at the age of 16 and lived a rather comfortable marriage and lifestyle until the age of 24, when my entire life took a turn for the better, or worse as some might have you think.

On a routine visit to a fellow noble's house me and my guard were attacked by a vampire. He was truly a beauty to watch in combat, a shame we never worked out. He changed me due to his obsession with me, one that had apparently been formed years prior. For many decades me and him were teacher and mentor, but when he got too power hungry I was forced to kill him. Murder my maker. The irony and tragedy was not lost on me.

After that particularly trauma inducing event I went out on my own. He had taught me how to find out the most recent vampire happenings, and I didn't waste those teachings. I kept far away from vampire conflicts, far away from vampire government, and far away from species wars. He would have been so proud.

I changed my name many times in my long life, but after many, many years settled with Natalie Albrook. Odd last name, but I like it, so don't judge. I look like your average female vampire; porcelain skin, flawless beauty, great figure, flowing brown hair down to my mid back. I did have a small bust, and I've been told my cheek bones are a bit high on my face, but thats beside the point.

In the following centuries I learned myself on the many academic topics humanity had to offer. Whoever says that being a vampire is boring obviously needs to sit down and read a good book on economic theory or philosophy. Hell, make your own economic theories and philosophies. Mine is pretty simple, do what's best for you. Selfish? Maybe, but it's great for survival.

I even published a few books of my own, but that was the least of my accomplishments. I can pass a doctorates test in economics, philosophy, many fields of mathematics, biology, chemistry, and many more. It helped that my power was perfect for learning. I had a flawless memory; I never forgot whatever I read or heard once. Many would call that lame, I would call them foolish.

I watched the rise and fall of the British Empire, I witnessed the discovery of India, Africa, China, Japan, the Americas. I saw the horrors of both World Wars, stood by as the Native Americans were massacred, took in the rise of America as a super power and compared it to the times of the Civil War; how far that country has come.

I took in that history with both apathetic analyzation and overwhelming happiness. How could one not enjoy watching history unfold before their eyes? I never once participated or interfered, why should I? It was much more interesting to watch things naturally unfold. Apathetic would be a good way to describe my personality on the outside, inside I was still somewhat of a child, but I always looked at things from an analytic standpoint. Emotional investment was not something I was eager to re-experience.

I was probably one of the oldest nomads around, but I am certainty one of the most inexperienced in combat still alive. At least the Voltrui didn't know of my existence, I made sure of that. The last thing I needed was them making me their accountant. Or them trying to shove their mythology down my throat; how they think we are a product of the Jewdeo-Christian God is beyond me. From what I hear there are a few over-zealous members who can't wait to convert you. Bloody extremists. At least they weren't homophobic. Vampirism tended to decrease ones bigot ability.

* * *

It had only taken me a few hours to get to my new feeding ground, animal blood could sustain you, but it tasted horribly and was not good for long-term nourishment. It was the main reason animal drinkers had such a problem around humans. But animal blood was good enough to get me to my destination without exhaustion problems.

When I finally arrived at the actual town, I was extremely disappointed. The Cullen's were here and taking the guise of High School students as to allow for long term inhabitance. To make things even better a male with floaty hair somehow spotted me in my hiding spot near school grounds. I was only looking for some decent food and now I have to deal with the second most powerful coven still alive. How lovely.

Digging through my mental library, which was something I could actually picture, I I found the information on the Cullen's that I would need to know. Just basic stuff, I couldn't find anything too in depth.

Edward- The Mind Reader

Alice- The Clairvoyant

Jasper- The Empath

Carlisle- The Leader and Diplomat

Rosalie- The Beauty and Judge

Emmet- The Fighter and Protector

Esme- The Mother and Companion

With that in mind, it was obvious I wouldn't be going anywhere unnoticed. So I stuck around the School, waiting for them to leave so we could talk this out. I hated mind readers, so over the centuries I had tried and tested many possible defenses. My most effective one was to shield your core thoughts with many disorganized ones. Static, if you will. After many years of practice it was second nature to me.

So with my thoughts on puppies, cats, and whales in full effect I waited. And waited. How long was school again?

Finally, after hours of sitting in one place for far too long, the 'children' of the coven left the building. And my hopes of diplomacy were shattered.

They were leaving with a human. A _Human female, _why did I have to witness the Cullen's of all covens breaking a very important law? Seriously, had they gone mad?!

My thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of footsteps heading in my direction. In my shocked state I had failed to notice the human had been escorted to one of their overly expensive vehicles and driven away. The rest of the coven was coming for me!

Springing from my crouched position, I immediately turned and full out sprinted away from my pursuers. I needed to get out of here, they were going to kill me!

I heard a growl emanate from behind me, but I wasn't foolish enough to look back. Never look back. Never stop running and never look back.

The forest a blur I ran through the wood of Washington with reckless abandon. They were still after me, and two of them were gaining! How was an animal drinker gaining on me? I still had some human blood left in me!

It was when I was about to jump over a canyon did they catch me. And whoever did was not nice, not nice at all. I felt a hand grab my left ankle, and I knew it was all over for me. The vampire yanked me back and effortlessly tossed me into the trees around us. My marble-like body absorbed the damage, but my head still reeled from the sudden stop and impacts. I truly was pathetic in combat.

At least I was smart, for once my senses returned, which likely took under a second, I felt many unwanted hands on me. My simple attire of blue jeans and a grey Adidas shirt was torn and ruined, but the hands on my head, arms, and legs were much more pressing matters. I had been in such a rush that I had left my items by the school. I would have liked to burn with my belongings at least.

But I froze the moment I realized my very sensitive position. They could kill me at any moment. With a single twitch of a muscle my head would be severed and my body ready to be disposed of.

"What did you see?"

A gruff, almost animalistic male voiced asked me. I dared not try to move my neck or eyes, afraid the slightest of movements would trigger them. I knew what he was asking, hopefully they didn't bring the empath, he could look past my shallow emotional barriers.

"N-Nothing at all!"

"She's lying."

God-dammit. Stupid empaths.

"Should we kill her?"

"I don't know...what if we-"

And so the debate over my life began, and thank the Gods that may or may not exist for instilling kindness into the hearts of Alice, Emmet, and kinda Jasper. Jasper just let Alice speak for him due to her gift and apparent trust in her ability to chose correctly. They must be bonded. Edward wanted me dead, and for very obvious reasons. I would have killed me if I were them. Thankfully they were much purer and kinder souls than I.

"We are going to let go of you, any sudden movements and we will tear you apart, got it?"

Edward really knew how to get his points across.

"Yes, yes I understand."

I felt the many lethal hands leave my body and I began to involuntarily breathe again. Slowly rising, I made sure to slow my movements to a human level, I simply stared at the vampires around me. They looked like upper-class school students, brand name clothing that cost more but felt the same. Only the short, pixie like one stood out. She had a sense of style unmatched by any of the others. But I wasn't exactly absorbing in their clothing style. I was too busy being scared of the monstrosity of a vampire in front of me, smiling like a child. He could tear me in half!

Glancing around as my captors shifted, I realized that they were surrounding me. I guess I was going to be escorted to their home or den. Whichever they called it. The large one stood behind me, with Edward and Jasper taking up the two flanks, and Alice standing in front of me. Were they really planning on having me walk the entire way?

"So..."

Alice spun to look me over quick.

"Just stay my speed and follow right behind me. Shouldn't be too hard, yea?"

I just nodded my head, still incredibly nervous about my position. Alice turned back around with a wink and started to pick up speed. I did my best to keep at a constant distance and not seem suspicious, but Edward just kept staring at me. He must be trying desperately to read my thoughts. Poor guy. Not really, I hated mind readers.

It didn't take long to retrace out steps, but I was rather exhausted by it all. My stamina had always been low compared to other vampires, hence my need to learn the ins and outs of vampire nutrition. The four seems perplexed by my tired state, it wasn't every-day you saw a vampire hunched over after a run.

"Are you okay?" The ever empathetic Alice asked.

"I'll be fine. Doesn't matter anyway, you guys are going to kill me."

I didn't get a response to that, though I did feel a sudden urge of regret. Where did that come from?

Their house was actually very intricate and beautiful, whoever designed it deserved a reward. At least I would die surrounded by tasteful architecture.

"Come on, it's time we all decided on what to do here." Emmet put a hand on my shoulder, trying to reassure me. It only made my stomach drop deeper into my being. I really should have learned some combat skills.

The four vampires escorted me into their not-so-humble abode, where I met the remaining three member of the Cullen coven. Rosalie, Esme, and Carlisle, all waiting in a large living room. My judgment room was rather cozy, with two carmel colored sofas, a wide screen plasma, and many delicate glass works decorating the room. They really did have good tastes.

Carlisle, the leader, got up from his sitting state and made his way towards me before introducing himself with an outreached hand.

"Carlisle Cullen, you would be?"

I accepted his hand immediately. "Natalie Albrook."

"Your eyes, they are almost brown. Are you trying to feed only from animals?"

My fate likely depended on my answer, but I couldn't lie. The empath would know. So I didn't.

With a slow shake of my head, I answered in my normal uncaring tone. "No, having a balance in diet is the only reason I ever drink from animals. Both blood types have their uses."

It seemed my diet comment intrigued the coven leader. Enough at least to prologue this obvious stalling of the inevitable.

"What do you mean by 'balanced diet'?"

"Having a balance of animal and human blood allows for a repression of base instinct while retaining a good portion of the strength gained by having human blood in the system. You know of the different affect blood has on vampires, right?"

It was an honest question, one I really wanted to know. Had they really been ignorant of the workings of blood? They really were lucky on their rise to power.

Edward found my comment amusing, if his indignant snort was any indication.

"That strength did you so much good in your 'fight' against us."

"You have a clairvoyant, empath, and brute on your side. I hardly stood a chance."

They all seemed mildly surprised by the fact I knew that they had those powers, and who those powers were attributed to. They truly were ignorant of their political power. Pathetic. But Edward seemed smug, as if he had fooled me. Such a child this one.

"You didn't fool me, you overgrown child. I know you can read minds, why do you think all you can hear from me is static, useless thoughts?"

The room relaxed a bit as Edward tensed; at least they had a sense of humor. Most of them.

"How do you know all this?" Alice, the ever curious, questioned.

"Your not nearly as invisible as you believe. Why do you think nomads always find you? It isn't by accident."

"So you were looking for us? Why?" This was the first time I had heard Rosalie talk in my entire time here, and her voice was truly beautiful, even for a vampire. The harsh tone couldn't even detract from it.

"I wasn't, I was looking for more adequate feeding grounds. Forks is situated quite nicely for human and animal hunting."

Many looked uncomfortable at the mention of human hunting, except for Jasper and Carlisle. They seemed unphased by my comment.

I notice Alice seem to go limp as her mate, Jasper, caught her. Edward looked ready to rampage through the house, while Carlisle held whatever he was about to say.

Alice came out of her comatose state after a few tense seconds. Blinking a few times, Alice enlightened those without mind powers to her vision.

"We can't kill her."

Edward growled, Emmet gave a relieved chuckled, Esme seemed happy enough, Jasper and Carlisle were neutral, Alice seemed overjoyed for whatever reason, and Rosalie looked pissed but compliant. I was relived beyond belief, but wasn't about to show it. So I didn't.

"But she saw Bella! She's going to go to the Volturi!" Edward was understandably angry, for apparently the human Bella meant a great deal to him. How interesting.

"You should have never gone after that human, Edward. We tried to warn you."

"Not this again Rose! I saw Bella becoming one of us, so everything is fine! Trust me."

"I don't doubt your ability, Alice. I just worry what we may have to sacrifice to get your vision."

The room devolved into two sides, one who was fine with this Bella, the other opposing. The opposing side was a bit short handed, but surprisingly Jasper was on Rosalie's side. This caused Alice to be less vocal, meaning that the sides were rather matched due to Carlisle's neutrality.

Not that I cared, I was ready to bolt, but I wouldn't get far. I was running on empty. Eventually the debate ended when they noticed me slowly making my way out of the house. Damn creaky floorboard.

The reaction was instantaneous. Edward was on me in a second, growling the whole way. I didn't even have time to think before his hand was around my throat and I was shoved, quite literally, into the wall.

Giving a strangled hiss, I clawed feebly at his hand as my eyes narrowed. I wanted to nail him in the gut with my knee so bad, but I feared any hostile action would only end up with me having more grievous injuries.

Seeing a flash behind Edward's head, his furious orbs of gold were thrown away from me, his claws vanishing from their previous position at my neck, I fell to the ground and struggled to stand. Today was just not my day.

Thankfully Alice was by my side in under a second, helping me up and dusting the dust away from me. All I wanted was some blood, was that too much to ask? Apparently so. Shoulda just went to Canada.

"We're sorry about that, Edward has quite the temper on him." Alice tried to placate me, but I just wanted my supplies and human blood. Animal blood could disappear for all I cared at this point. I didn't need this shit, I didn't want any part of it.

Gently removing myself from the overly affectionate pixie, I stared into her carmel colored eyes before replying. "I just...can you escort me to my things? I left them behind in my haste."

"Oh. Oh, of course! Yes! Lead the way." She finished with a goofy bow, and I allowed a small smile to cross my face. She was an odd one. Without glancing at the restrained Edward or the rest of the family, I simply walked out with Alice bouncing after me.

"Why don't we run there?"

"Don't you ever get tired?"

"Sometimes, but it's really rare. Most of us simply eat all the time, so we never run out of energy...do you have a gift?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Even with us not running, we were still going rather fast if compared to a human. About the speed of a professional athlete. Nothing too hard.

"Idunno, cuse I saved your life?"

"I've lived far too long to be swayed by notions of honor or favors. Try again."

"Oooo. Mysterious. How old are you?"

"Again, why should I tell you anything? And we're here."

Scooping up my large green cylinder I called 'supplies' I turned to face the perplexed face of Alice. What was it now?

"Why do you carry around books and maps? Are you that young? Do you not remember anything?!"

She looked more exited at the prospect of me not knowing who I was. It seemed that they didn't trust my take on diets, so they still thought I was a youngster. Oh, how wrong they were.

"I assure you, I'm not young, and I remember just about everything from my human life."

"Awwwww." I could literally see her deflate. I was almost saddened myself. Almost.

"So you don't know anything then?"

"Nope. Only that I come from Mississippi. And that I woke up alone, my creator nowhere to be found. Where's yours?"

"Dead." No harm in telling that one.

"Oh...I'm sorry."

"No need, I'll be going human hunting soon. I know you and your coven are animal drinkers only, but I ask you understand and tolerate my own feeding habits."

"But...but you kill people." I could see the sadness in her eyes as she spoke to me, those carmel orbs boring into me and revealing my very soul to the world. However, I wouldn't be swayed. Besides, I didn't always kill my prey.

"Not all the time, but yes, I normally do. Listen, since I know it makes you guys uncomfortable I'll refrain from killing anybody. Sound like a deal?"

Life coming back into her face, Alice excitedly bounced on the balls of her feet and nodded eagerly. But she didn't move. Dammit. She was going to follow me. I had hoped she'd be dumb enough to allow me to hunt in peace. Guess not. Not all vampires are smart, some are idiotic hicks.

"I assume your going to watch then?"

"I don't want to but...kinda have to."

"Forks or Seattle?"

"I'd prefer Seattle. We have other things here."

That didn't even make sense, but oh well. Getting into my jog, which was the speed of about 30 MPH, I began the rather short trek to Seattle, which would be my hunting ground for the foreseeable future.

"Why are you so tired? Do you not drink enough?"

"No, I've always had low stamina compared to other vampires. You should't be so surprised, theres always minor variations in each vampires physical ability. I just happen to have a negative."

"I guess that makes sense. I've never really gotten to know many vampires outside of my family."

"Is that what you call it?""

"Yes, you have a problem with that?" Her normally cheery tone took on a steely edge. Sensitive subject I see.

"No, more perplexed than anything. Do you truly function like a family?"

It wasn't unheard of, but it was certainly rare for vampires to truly coexist like humans. I've always wanted to study the psychology of those covens; perhaps I could here?

The rest of our trip was spent with her detailing many family stoories. It wasn't dull, but I could have gone for something more stimulating. I'll take what I can get.

Hunting without killing is, technically, against the laws. Not explicitly, but the few times I did, I did it out of experimentation. Mainly to see if it was indeed possible to restrict venom flow during feeding. Turns out it was. I also wanted to test the psyche oh humans, to see if they would accept what happened to them. But that was back in the old days, days without globalization or running water.

Entering the city limits, conversation stopped and I opened up my senses to the world around me. Hunting was one of my favorite experiences, I could almost feel the world rotate under me and smell everything that moved. Hyperbole of course, but it's truly euphoric for me.

Running through the alleyways, I came upon what appeared to be a homeless gathering of sorts. Barrel on fire, rugged looked humans surrounding it, alcohol thrown about. It was textbook perfection for someone like me.

There were five of them, more than enough to refill me without draining one of them. My eyes dark as night, I wasted no time in using my super speed to knock them all out. The drugged up fools didn't know what hit them.

Picking up the limp body of the first, I pulled aside his heavy coat and sank my teeth into his shoulder. Sweet, sweet blood filled my mouth and I greedily drank it. The taste of blood...it was comparable to the finest of wines back in the 1300s, when the ingredients were pure and aged to perfection. Without the alcohol taste of course.

Feeling the mans heart start to wain, I just dropped him onto the ground and moved onto the next, and the next, and the next. All that running and pathetic resistance I called fighting had really worn me down. And I had kept my word, all still lived. For now. They would die of exposer to the cold and possible complications due to massive blood loss. I didn't kill them.

In my haste I hadn't noticed Alice off to the side, watching the display with morbid fascination. Don't tell me they didn't know about venom repression.

"How can you bite them without turning them?"

I gave a sigh and shook my head.

This was going to be a long, long stay with the Cullens.

**That's chapter one. Tell me what you guys think. Reviews are more than welcome. **


	2. Allies and Friends?

**And chapter 2. As always feedback is more than welcome, I'd like to hear your opinions on this OC of mine. Any questions or concerns will be answered to the best of my ability via PM. Ages are calculated via current year, so 2014. This won't change things too much...only a few political happenings and some tech.**

**Did my best to edit; hopefully I didn't miss anything too annoying. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything outside of the OC. Meyer owns the Twilight series, and I make no money through this work. Do I still need thsee stupid things? **

* * *

Just A Nomad

After Alice asked me that question, I simply ran past her and bolted back to Forks. With that human blood still in my system I was more than capable of outrunning Alice, who was purely an animal drinker.

You may be wondering why I wasn't running for the nearest airport to escape, it was a pretty simple answer. They had allies all over the world and the idea that I could escape from the vision of a rather skilled clairvoyant was laughable at best. Meaning I would be hunted down rather easily, and I didn't fancy my survivability with a coven outside of the Cullens.

Still, it was tempting to just take my chances, but I repressed the urge to run. It would only end in my death. No matter what Alice may claim, I was not a needed player in some destiny thing. I rejected the ideas of fate and destiny many, many years ago. I had yet to discover the secrets of vampire mating, but I would one of these years.

Seeing the outskirts of Forks begin to appear in the night, I slowed my sprint to a slow walk. I must have been out for longer than I realized. Hunting tended to do that, though the glow of the fire should have been a give away. I needed to be more aware of my surroundings. I wonder if Alice would give me some tips...

Reaching the tree line, I just stared out at the small lighted town. It was a beautiful sight, artificial lighting may be one of mans greatest inventions. That or running water. Okay, definitely running water. Lighting was nice to look at, but rather useless to me. Vampires had good night-vision. We may not have our normal waste disposal systems anymore, but I still loved showers. Showers were amazing.

I felt a presence join me to my left. Alice really was persistent, wasn't she?

"So, your staying then?"

"Do I really have a choice?"

"Mmmmm. Suppose not, nope."

She really was an odd one.

"Are you going to join us back home or?"

"I might. We don't sleep, so not much point. How long must I stay here?"

"Uhm. Until this whole Bella thing blows over."

"So you don't know."

"Yea..."

I just wanted to leave now. There was no reason for my staying here. Especially since only Alice really wanted me here. I didn't even want to be here.

"Would you mind meeting Bella?"

"The human Edward believes to be his mate?"

Alive seemed a little shocked.

"How did you know?"

"I guessed, you confirmed. Do you really think she is his mate?"

For the first time since my being here I allowed my own feelings to seep into my voice. Alice had a way of bringing out the real you. My disbelief was known.

"I...I don't know. The way he describes it, it sounds like she's more his singer than bond mate."

"The two are similar in feeling, but long term it's still a mortal bond. Bond mates cannot separate."

For the first time it seemed Alice took my words seriously, it was about time.

"You actually do know many secrets of vampirism, don't you? How old are you?"

"How old are you?"

"I'm 94!"

Wow, much younger than I would have guessed. Her supposed mastery of her gift was done rather quickly. She was talented. It took me 130 years to master mine, and mine was a rather tame power.

"I'm older than you."

"Well, that's no surprise. I'm a really, really young vampire. Relatively speaking. Most of our family is about 100 years old. Carlisle is the only one well over 100, he's 351! Quite the old man, my father."

Alice really was naive. She shouldn't be revealing this information to me, a possible enemy. Knowing a vampires age was more telling than you'd first think. It told you how much they knew when it came to old vampire laws, development, and fighting styles. Not that I knew any outside of the ancient books I carried. Which were still on my back. Priceless, my collection. I had more hidden about the Northern US.

"I'm older than him." I sounded a bit smug about that, rightfully so. Surviving as long as I had was no small feat. Plus, it was obvious that this coven was ignorant of many things, so it was rather safe for me to be vague.

"You're not going to tell me how old you are, are you?"

"Now that would be telling. To answer your question; sure. I'll meet this Bella."

Alice seemed to radiate happiness at my answer.

"Great! Tomorrow Is a Saturday, so Bella will be over at our house. Just drop by whenever."

"Sure sure. Does this mean you are going to leave me in peace?"

"Here I thought we were friends! Fine, grumpy pants, go brood by yourself."

With that the bundle of energy was off, to do what I did not know or care. All I knew was that I was going to have to visit their den and meet this human toy they found.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't think myself to be above humans on some notion of evolutionary superiority. I just acknowledged that humans were mentally and physically inferior to vampires. I'm sure my own economic theories could trump those of today, and my understanding of mathematics surpassed almost all humans, but I couldn't exactly publish my findings.

Didn't help that most vampires didn't pursue academic study, many loved the arts more than practical knowledge. Or didn't care enough to study. Fools, the lot of them.

With many hours left and no desire for interaction, I thought it time to thoroughly map out the surrounding forest and town. Putting down my green cylinder bag, I got out a blank sheet of mapping paper and a brand name pen. Pens were likely the only thing that was affected by brands.

Sealing up my pack and shouldering it, I ran through the forest to find a good vantage point. After a few minutes of searching I found a large cliff, sat down, and began to map the area. My vision and many years of experience allowed me to map with minimal movement and investigation. Map making was a lost art. Granted, this wasn't an official map by any means of the imagination. Just me sketching and memorizing the area. Good escape routes and hiding places.

The countryside of Washington was more than just endless wood. There were rivers, valleys, creeks, river beds; even a vampire couldn't see too far ahead of them in this place. So it paid to know the area. Vampire combat was more nuanced than one might expect. At least older vampires fought with some grace.

There was a reservation nearby, one that I couldn't see or map without personally going there. Some no-same tribe, no real relevance to history. I hadn't even heard of them and I lived in the USA during the native relocations. Oh well, no time like the present, eh? Maybe I could ask them a few questions about their heritage. Later, of course, it looked pretty late out.

Dashing through the insect filled forest, I made my way towards the tribe's reservation. Reservations were such poor things, little wealth and horrid education. The kids didn't have a chance of growing up to be 'productive' or 'successful' as America deemed it. Personally I think that success should be measured in ones own happiness, not some arbitrary accumulation of green cloth.

You'd think that people would care a bit more about the natives made captives on their own land, but the education system didn't exactly teach kids about the massacre their ancestors committed. Was bad for patriotism.

The closer I got to the reservation, the more a bad smell invaded my senses. It wasn't the smell of wet dog, more of a earthy smell with musk added it to. The smell was very curious, something I had never encountered before, and that intrigued me to no end. So I sped up and soon encounter a _wall _of scent. An obvious mark of territory.

Vampires could do similar things with their scent, with some practice we could mask or enhance our own smell. I was close to being able to completely hide my scent, something I was rather proud of.

But that didn't matter right now. This may be a new species of supernatural, a species the Cullen's were hiding. There was simply no possible way for them to have never encountered this new species. I've smelled werewolves, vampires, a few other special species that the Volturi knew of and monitored with some interest, and some they knew nothing about.

I wasn't about to share, that would put me on the map. But the Cullens...they had reason to keep quiet, only for their own gain.

Suppressing my presence as much as I could, I pushed through the wall of musk and earth. I knew this was dangerous, and I should have just waited at the territory mark, but I couldn't suppress my curiosity. I needed to know more about these things. Now. So I made my way deep into their territory, which surrounded the reservation. Interesting.

Sadly, I never caught a glimpse of the new supernaturals. Even as I sat in a tree right above one of the houses nothing showed, and this looked to be the heart of what they claimed to be theirs. Either their numbers were lacking or my skill in stealth was better than I originally thought. Oh well, I'll just camp out here until morning comes. Not like I have anything better to do. My little map was made and memorized.

So the hours passed and I waited, sometimes I would hear massive footsteps and heavy breathing, but it sounded like a large wolf or dog. So I ignored it. By the time the sun was about to rise I was thoroughly disappointed. With not even the smallest glimpse of this new species I was forced to leave and begin my trek back to the Cullen household. But not before stopping by a clothing store to get new cloths.

Just another simple pair of jeans and grey Adidas shirt with an orange emblem in the center. No reason to splurge. Managing bank accounts used to be quite the challenge, but I managed enough until vampires solved the problem.

I didn't have much money when compared to other vampires; just around half a million. I didn't want to go through all the trouble of having to change Social Security numbers and all that jazz, so I kept my money in a small bank managed by vampires. So I didn't need to worry about some human bank agency asking me why I was still alive and well after 100 years of being a customer. I didn't know how they got funding or registered to be legitimate, but I didn't ask.

So with a heavy heart I arrived at the Cullen den with some animal blood in my system. I was going to try out constantly remaining full and see what that did to my stamina, seemed to work wonders for the Cullens. I'd have to look into that if this worked.

It was late morning by the time I arrived, the clouds were in their usual spot and the sun was blocked out. So around seven in the morning. As I meandered my way towards the front door I smelled the cooking of human breakfast. Bella must be a morning person, or Edward needs a hobby. Either works. Putting up my mental gibberish, I was thoroughly amused when it was Edward, with the most indignant look on his face, who opened the door before I even had a chance to knock. How polite of him.

"I'd like a few words with you, in private."

My red eyes met his gold, and I nodded just enough for him to know I accepted. This should be good. He struck me as the paranoid type, someone who would rather see an enemy burn himself then allow his allies to do it for him...that was a very disturbing analogy to think on, so I pushed it from my mind as he led me a bit away from the house. Nothing too far, just enough for any prying ears to not hear us.

"Alice may seem to trust you, but she is far too trusting. If you cannot handle being around Bella, tell us and leave."

"You underestimate me. I am more than capable of controling myself."

"Bella isn't like norml humans, she smells different. The rest of my family seems to want to give you a chance, just know I'll be watching you."

"I understand your concern, but I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised."

My apathetic yet diplomatic approach seemed to calm the protective emotions a singer or mate instilled in the young vampire. Reason seeped back into his eyes, which were now shining gold, and his expression softened.

"You must think I'm an ass."

"No...you get your point across in a way you feel is needed. Nothing you've said has been too malicious, and your actions are understandable. Just. Try not to judge others so quickly next time."

I was telling the truth too. Edward's actions were understandable; grudges over protective actions and words were beneath me. Those with less years of experience may be put off, but I was like him too when it came to my singer. I ended up killing her in a fit of passion...it just solidified my belief in the uselessness of emotional bonds. They only brought pain.

"Wise words...let's get back, I'm sure the others think I maimed you in some way."

I just raised an eyebrow, Edward gave a cough and we went back to see a smug looking Alice waiting in the doorway.

"Told ya."

Edward narrowed his eyes but said nothing. From the blank look in Alice's eyes they looked to be having a conversation without the conversation. Did I mention my hate for mind readers?

"Are we going or?" I will admit, I was a tad bit annoyed by this. I couldn't stand it when those with 'advanced' or 'real' powers excluded those without. Superiority didn't look good on anyone.

"Oh! Excuse our rudness. Please please, come in!"

For the second time this week I was 'invited' into the home of the Cullens. How far I've come. I was not enjoying the attention.

Walking into the expensive house, I walked towards the kitchen and saw what could only be described as a feast. Pancakes, beacon, sausage...everything. How big was this girl? The smell didn't bother me all too much, I was used to the smell of human food. It was an interesting scent, being able to smell the induvidual aspects of each food.

And just like that those smells were taken away by the most beautiful scent I had ever had the pleasure of breathing in. Only my singer could compete, and that was saying something.

Walking into the room was a teenager, no older than 18, who had the coordination of a drunk beached whale. Her clothing was sensible, jeans that were a bit torn and worn with a simple T-shirt. For a human she was rather beautiful, pale skin with a stellar complexion, nice cheek bones, cute button nose, sharper jaw, doe brown eyes. Edward really had a looker here.

But it wasn't her looks that floored me. It was her blood. That delicious scent was more perfume than anything. I felt my eyes dilate and body tense. The female, who I assumed to be Bella, froze like a deer in headlights. Esme, the mother of the family, paused too in her work and looked rather panicked. I guess this wasn't the ideal meeting.

And it really wasn't, it my hunting state I could feel the other vampires of the house wait with abated breath. Three were directly behind me, the others were just out of my sight around the corners of the kitchen. Esme was the only one I could see, and her eyes were slowly darkening as my body continued to tense. Bella smelt _wonderful. _

With some struggle I reigned in my instincts to pounce on the human and drain her of blood. I wasn't even hungry, and that made it all the easier. I would not act like some animal!

With a sigh I felt my body relax, the entire house along with it, but continued to breathe in this glorious new scent. It was like nothing I'd ever encountered before. I just felt this primal need to be near it, to feel it.

Clearing my throat, I closed the distance between me and the slightly less startled human. It was a curious reaction to have, she didn't seem scared as much as just shaken. As if my presence, not the threat I posed, had simply surprised her. This Bella would be quite the case should the Voltrui ever find out. They do enjoy a good game.

Of course, Esme was right by her side in under a second. Ensuring my continued good behavior. Unlike some I did have control, I was able to repress my more base instincts, this one just surprised me. Edward was right, she's no normal human.

"You must be this Bella Edward is so protective over. I'm Natalie Albrook, I'll be staying here for some time."

I thought I'd be polite, so I outreached my hand for a handshake. Esme smiled, and Bella gave a very small smile, one even I struggled to see. But her eyes...an intelligence was behind them, one that I would either grow to respect or fear.

So she took my hand and I allowed her to move my arm up and down.

"Uhm. Yea, good to meet you too. It's just. Why wasn't I told?"

"That's a very good question. One only they can answer."

We detached and she looked at me oddly, as if my monotone way of speaking was unusual. Which is was. Just nobody had really visibly shown their confusion before. Humans and their inability to control themselves. Perhaps I had been expected a bit much form her...

Esme decided that this was the perfect time to intervene. Which it was. This did not paint their family in a good light.

"We can talk about this after breakfast, why don't you sit down dear? I'm sure you two can talk more once you've eaten."

Who said I wanted to talk more? I wanted to go map Seattle today...

But my mental woes went unheard, just as I liked, and Bella gave a stiff nod before sitting down and eating what she could. Poor girl, pry felt pressured to eat as much as she could due to how much Esme had made.

So I stood there awkwardly as the rest of the family gathered around and creepily watched her eat or make vampire conversation, which was too fast and low for a human to hear. These guys really did not know proper etiquette when having a human guest. I may be a bit of a blunt ass at times, but at least I was polite.

Eventually the human was done, she put her dishes in the sink after rinsing them off and immediately turned to her supposed mate. She didn't look too happy.

"Can I have a word, Edward?"

"Of course love."

The hot-headed vampire picked up his possible singer and vanished up the stairs. All I heard was a door close, so they had sound proofed the rooms. Maybe they did have some manners, at least they believed in privacy.

"She really does smell like something else, eh?"

Emmett seemed to think that this path of conversation was somehow appropriate. I may beg to differ, but who am I to judge?

"Indeed, only my singer could be comparable to that. Does she smell like that all the time?"

Many mumbled 'yes' and an overly exited Alice said 'Duh!'. They were just bundles of conversation today. At least Carlisle and Emmett looked eager to talk, Alice was a bit subdued for whatever reason.

"I hear your a really old woman Natalie. Ever play a video game?"

"I've heard of them. Never played em myself."

"Then I think it's time I introduce you to the wonders of gaming..."

Emmett looked overjoyed at the idea of teaching me the so called 'wonders of gaming', but his happiness was short lived. Carlisle had other plans.

"Actually, I'd like to ask Natalie a few questions. I apologize Emmett, but your games will have to wait."

Like a true child Emmett pouted before storming off muttering about 'killjoy parents'. Esme followed after him with a soft smile on her face, as if the family dynamic made her overjoyed. I really would love to study these vampires in depth. Hopefully Alice would cooperate.

I didn't share their playful attitude. Despite how kind Carlisle looked, I knew he knew I was a serious threat to his coven. I didn't have a choice in how I answered these questions. If I wanted to continue a comfortable existence I would fully cooperate. Damn Cullens and their law-breaking ways.

So me and the rest of the family took a seat at the now cleared mahogany kitchen table. Esme cleared it sometime before Emmett stormed off. She was fast.

The seating arrangement showed me how this was going to work. Carlisle and Jasper were to my sides, meaning they would be working together to 'break down' any resistance I gave. Alice and Rosalie were seated behind them, meaning they had less investment or role in the coming questions.

From Alice's utterly bored look I could tell she didn't care about this, but the Blonde bombshell subtly gave away her interest through her body-language. The small flicking of the eyes towards me and her very minor leaning in my direction were left-over unconscious behaviors from her time as a human.

"Alice tells me that you claim to be older than everyone in our family, is this true?"

And so the interrogation began. He was ensuring I only had yes or no as an answer, thus evading my normally vague answers. He was a smart one.

"Yes."

"Are you over 500?"

"...Yes."

Now Rose was fully interested, she wasn't even trying to hide her interest. Carlisle maintained his neutral expression while Jasper struggled not to give anything away. He was well controlled for someone so young.

"I'm sure you realize the futility of trying to hide your age Natalie, it would save us time if you just told us."

"My age is irrelevant."

"We both know that to be false."

"Not to interrupt, but why is her age so important again?" Alice really was an innocent ball of energy.

"The older than vampire, the more powerful their allies and connections. We need to know why you saw what you did when I decided she was to...you get the idea. Just think about it, shes older than me and I have friends inside the Volturi, imagine what she may have? I'd rather not have some powerful coven bear down on us for holding her against her will."

Jasper gave Alice a curious look, as if her actually asking a question was rare. Did she not use her gift in order to make me more comfortable? If so, how did she know it was that that annoyed me? Alice may be more intelligent than I initially thought; I'll need to keep my eye on her.

"Back to the original question. How old are you?"

After a thirty second long staring contest, I gave in. He was right, I was only delaying the inevitable. It would be childish of me to drag this out, no matter how much I may want to. I needed to maintain my image among these people.

"I'm roughly 700 years, I don't know my exact birth date."

"Whoa. You musta seen so much!"

I couldn't prevent a small smile from surfacing. Alice truly was adorable, in a child-like manner of course.

"Yes, Alice, I've seen my fair share of history."

"So why are you alone?" Rosalie finally decided to join in on the questioning, and it was a very legitimate question. One I had no problem answering.

"I'm not a social vampire."

A raised, perfect eyebrow. "That seems more like an excuse. Jasper says that's the truth, but the answer is vague enough to encompass many things. Do you have a coven?"

"No."

"Any allies?"

"Yes."

I stayed away from most covens and vampires, but I did have a few friends littered about the world. Friends that would defend me should I come under fire.

"Who are they?"

"Supernatural beings."

A sigh. "Carlisle, you take over. It's hard to not throw her through a wall or two."

The Coven head didn't bat an eye; if anything he seemed to have expected that.

"The only real thing of relevance here is the Volturi, are you loyal to them in any way?"

"Absolutely not. They don't know of my existence, and I'd like to keep it that way."

It was the first time those four had ever heard me talk outside of my apathetic mask. None seemed overly surprised by my declaration, only pleased. So they weren't planning on being friends with the government in Italy. Perfect.

"Why do you wish to remain so hidden? Do you have a particularly potent gift?"

"My 'gift' is none of your concern. I assure you it's not a combat oriented gift. I'm sure you can guess as to why I don't want them knowing I exist."

"I can guess, but I'd rather you enlighten me."

This time we stared each other down in a battle of wills for many minutes before I caved. Alice continued to play with her short, almost spiky hair. She truly did not care about this. Has she already seen this all play out? If so, why not share it?

"I remember their old laws, their old ways. I know of what they've done to maintain power, know who they have under their control, and know of the old teachings. Vampires have a richer history than is tought. We were very infuencial in the renaissance and ancient China."

"So you could pose a minor threat. Would you consider becoming an ally of ours?"

"Carlisle, you can't be serious!" Both Rosalie and I had many problems with this, but for the first time Alice seemed interested in how this would play out. I'll need to find out exactly how her power works, if only to avoid it in the future.

As father and daughter debated, I took the time to truly think through his offer. He would know if I was being deceitful, meaning I couldn't just say yes. Having them as an ally would certainly give me some benefits, especially if I ever was discovered or targeted by some other coven.

The downside was that I would now be on the radar, but it was too late to get off it at this point. Aro could now go through any one of their minds and find me. Really, this offer was purely to my benefit. But I really did not want to be tied down to anyone or thing. This would mean I'd have to be trustworthy. Accountable.

Sadly, if I was to survive the likely coming storm, then I'd need allies. Allies I could trust. If I could trust any coven it would be this one. I really didn't have a choice in the matter here. Now I just needed to find out what this "ally" thing meant.

"What would be required of me?"

My question cut off the debate instantly, with the vampire model backing down under a suddenly intense look from Carlisle.

"Nothing too binding; share some information, inform us of any plots you may discover, help us should we call upon you. Very typical of two countries allying."

"Would I be free to leave?"

"Sadly, we would prefer you stay here until Bella undergoes the changes she needs to. The extra help would be nice should anyone else stumble upon us like yourself."

Translation: No, you are staying.

With some reluctance, I decided to voice my approval. "Fine, you have yourselves a new ally-"

"Whoooooo! Now I can shop for you too! You and Bella both are in desperate need of makeovers."

"Are makeovers a part of this deal?"

Carlisle seemed torn, but ultimately sealed Alice's fate.

"Uhm. No, I think not."

"Alice, I will politely decline your request to give me a 'makeover'. I'd apologize, but I'm not sorry."

"Hmmmm. Maybe I will like you."

Apparently being a bit of a bitch made the blonde one like me more. We were definitely going to get along well long term. Especially since we both agreed about this human Bella nonsense. The girl needed to be changed or disposed of. The sooner the better, I did not want to stay any longer than needed.

Alice deflated, and Jasper chuckled. Carlisle smiled and excused himself, likely going to search for Emmett and Esme. Where had those two gone? I may have been looking forward to playing these video games I saw so much of.

Perhaps this wouldn't be too bad...I just needed to go to that reservation sometime to see if they knew about the supernaturals. I wouldn't come right out and say it, but some investigation would uncover something.

Yes...this unfortunate turn of events may not be so bad after all.


	3. Confrontations and Understandings

**And chapter three. As always I hope you enjoy and review. Things will be picking up soon, as in next chapter soon. **

* * *

Just A Nomad

The remaining time I spent at the Cullen den was short. Carlisle had no more questions, Alice was busy worrying over Edward and Bella's relationship, Rosalie didn't care what I did, and the rest of the coven were either busy or unavailable. Jasper was trying to calm his mate. So I left. Not the area of course, Alice would have seen that, but I went and visited the quiet town of Forks. It wasn't anything too special; nothing to make anyone want to stay longer than needed. It wasn't a bad place to live, but it also wasn't good. Painfully average. Generic even.

The people were nice enough, the history was bland. Honestly, this was the perfect place for vampires to hide out long term. Why they had to move was a very obvious question; why did Carlisle place them inside of the USA government bureaucracy? Or any governmental agency for that matter.

The vampire government in Italy could easily give them fakes and passports, the Volturi did more than just set down rules. They helped us blend in, hide from humans in this increasingly connected and privacy lacking world. Anything could be tracking you, which is why my phone was always off with its battery out unless I needed to call someone.

My questions on their way of life would eventually be asked, just not anytime soon. I didn't want to delve too deep into this little rabbit hole I'd stumbled into. Best to just let sleeping dogs lie for now. That didn't mean I was about to just let this new species slip through my fingers. I intended on getting to meet them today, or at least seeing one. Rather than invading their land I would just wait at the edge of their territory and enhance my scent. Unless they were unable to smell there would be no way of them missing me.

So here I was, smelling this awful smell of musk and earth as I waited for these things to show. I had been waiting for a few hours now, this meant that they either lacked in numbers or sensing prowess. I was going to take a guess and say it was the first of the two options, none of the supernatural creatures I've met have ever lacked in the ability to smell or see. Hearing, maybe, but certainty not smelling.

A loud howl broke through the evening heat and thundering footsteps rapidly approached my position. It was about time. The closer it got, the more sounds I could make out. Two sets of heavy breathing, non-human heavy breathing at that. So they were animals, or had the ability to change into animals, and there were only two? Perhaps that was all they thought was needed to dispatch me...which it pry was. This may not have been my greatest of ideas.

There was no going back now.

Two gigantic wolves crashed through the woods and came within yards of me. One was a large silver wolf, the other was gigantic, monstrous in size. It was easily 7 feet tall; these things were huge! With sleek, night black hair and a vicious set of teeth. Both were growling menacingly at me, but did not cross their territory line...did the Cullens make some sort of agreement with them?

Either way, it was obvious they were no friends of vampires...I may be able to use them as leverage to leave. I was honest when I said I would be the Cullen's ally, but even allies planned against one-another. I just wanted to leave all of this behind me; leave the human drama and go about my research in peace and solitude. I wanted to find out the secrets of bond-mates, I couldn't do that stranded here. I couldn't do anything stranded here.

"Can you understand me?"

They only continued to growl. Time to see if human psychology affected them.

"Do you know the Cullens?"

The growling got louder. So they knew the coven and disliked them. Interesting. Apparently they could understand me and have some semblance of human unconscious psychology. So they spoke English. Could they be residents of the reservation? I guess I should ask.

"Do you come from the reservation of La Push?"

The supernatural wolves came within inches of crossing the boundary, but never did. The more aggressive they go the more right I was. This may be somewhat dangerous. Well. It was to begin with, but details.

"I'm not leaving until I get answers. You can growl all you want, but since you understand me you can obviously speak English."

At that they halted their non-stop attempts at intimidation and seemed to somehow communicate. How were they doing that? This species was very intriguing. Possibly half-breeds between human and werewolf? Vampire-human children weren't unheard of, just something the Volturi kept heavily under-wraps. I even had written rules pertaining to how to take care of these children written by the Volturi themselves.

The large one snorted at me, which I took some offense to, and the small silver one darted off after some visible reluctance. This one must be the alpha. It's size compared to the other would suggest so, as would its apparent command over it. Perhaps even a beta? I'd hate to see the alpha...

The large one went back into the forest without turning it's back to me, a blatant sign of distrust, and slunk away into the shadows. A short time later and a human male emerged, shirtless of course, with only jean-shorts on. At least I got some eye candy. They smell odd, but the ab show was something I could admire. That and I had a thing for tall people, and he was definitely a tall one.

"Are you actually checking me out?"

He even had a deep voice. I could stop breathing if I wanted to...

With some shame I suppressed my personality and got down to business. I really needed to have some companionship soon, some of the humans in town would have to do if no suitable vampires came around.

"Perhaps. Tell me, what are you?"

"Names Sam, thanks for asking, and we're werewolves, you stupid leech." His sneer wasn't nearly as attractive. Not many peoples were.

"Who told you that?"

"Are you serious?! We are GIANT wolves!"

"Who told you?"

"Fine. The fucking Cullen's told us. Happy?"

"Did they tell you or mention it around you?"

"Don't you know these guys?"

"Not willingly. Please answer the question."

"They off-handedly mentioned it...what do you mean by not willingly? Why are your eyes red?"

"Since your not trying to kill me, I assume you and the Cullen coven have a territory agrenment?"

His eyes hardened and he began to clam up. He seemed to hate the Cullens, but my very obvious prodding and avoiding of questions had him defensive. Damn.

"You should leave."

"Why?"

"I'm not answering anymore questions. Leave. Now."

With that he literally shifted into his wolf form with no difficulty and ran off. How did he shift so easily? He looked nothing like a werewolf, but that should have caused massive amounts of pain due to bone growth and movement.

So...what did I learn here? They take the form of giant wolves, but are human. Their size likely shows their place in the pack, and they can communicate via non-verbal means. Perhaps a mind-link of some sort? If so, was it individual or pack based? Did they have it in human form?

The Cullen coven also thought them to be werewolves, and may have had long term contact due to an apparent territory treaty. One that the wolves were not going to break. It was also evident that they knew nothing of vampire biology otherwise he would have known that I am a human drinker.

My encounter had raised more questions than it resolved. Just as expected. I could risk going into their territory again, but they looked like they could easily destroy me. Too risky. They now knew of my presence.

I heard someone approaching me from behind, so I turned to face them. Oddly, it was Jasper of all people. What was he doing out here?

He looked just as surprised to see me out here, but quickly hid it and looked suspiciously around. They obviously didn't want me knowing about this. Sad day for them, we don't all get what we want.

"I assume you know of them too then, right?"

He didn't sound happy.

"How many more laws are you going to break? The Volturi have more than enough reason to wipe you off the face of rhe earth. Do you not realize that they can claim these things to be werewolves?!"

Understandably, I was a bit pissed. These vampires...they didn't know how to stay conspicuous, did they?

"You mean to tell me they aren't?"

You have got to be shitting me.

"Take me to Carlisle."

"...Alright, follow me."

He must have felt my feelings and required no further explanation. This Jasper, he seemed to be the more tolerant and understand of the coven. More objective. At least someone had a sense of sanity in that house. The rest, excluding Carlisle, didn't have a clue on how the vampire world worked.

In under a minute of sprinting full speed we were at the front door. Jasper, like the gentlemen he was, opened the door with a bow and allowed me to enter. I liked him, that one. He had manners and a mind.

With a few sniffs of the air I found the coven head to be upstairs, likely in his own room. On my way to the man's office I saw Alice, and she looked pissed. I didn't care enough to ask, but I assumed it was due to Bella and Edward's absence. She didn't like being left behind. Perhaps she was a bit jealous? Interesting...

Coming upon Carlisle's door, I knocked three times and waited. I didn't have to wait long.

The wooden door opened to reveal the warm, smiling face of Esme. Had I interrupted something? Not that I cared, but awkward much?

"Can I speak to your mate?"

"Of course, come right in! Make yourself right at home."

I don't have a home, that's the point of being a nomad. Stupid youngsters.

Walking into the study, I found myself surrounded by shelves of books. My dislike of Carlisle reduced a bit at this. He seemed to be a fan of academic study. The man himself was situated in the center sitting at a large brown, well polished and maintained desk. How much did this house cost to make and furnish?

"You wished to speak with me?"

"Why did you tell everyone that those wolves are werewolves?"

That got his attention real fast.

"Esme dear, can you close and secure the door?"

Instantly the door was shut and many bolts were done. With a small hiss the soundproof attachment on the door activated and the room was sealed shut.

"You are proving to be quite the problem Ms. Albrook. Why must you look where you are not wanted or needed?"

His petty insults and hidden threats wouldn't work on me. I knew exactly where his mate was, and I could easily take the new vampire by surprise. It was easy to tell that she was unused to direct combat.

"You are the one disobeying law after law. Bella is still human, and you are hiding supernatural beings that the Volturi could say are werewolves. Have you gone mad?"

"I assure you, I am quite sane. I don't believe in those laws, so I choose not to follow them. None of us do. So we don't. Granted, this is the first time, but we have no qualms in breaking those silly things."

"Stop deflecting. Why are you lying to your coven?"

A pregnant pause.

"It was what I honestly believed until fairly recently. I haven't met a werewolf, and you shouldn't assume I have simply due to my age. I spent a majority of my existence in exile."

The more he talked, the more foolish I felt. I had been a bit presumptuous, but my point on the laws still stood. If they kept breaking them this so called "alliance" was over and I was leaving, consequences be damned. I would not be killed by the Voltrui for being these vampires hostage.

"Either way, you play a dangerous game. The laws are designed to ensure our continued existence outside of human knowledge."

"They will eventually find out about us."

An unfortunate truth. One I had a hard time coming to terms with.

"When they do I want nothing to do with it. Hence why I don't want to be linked to anyone, but with the storm you're brewing I'll need protection. So I'm stuck with you."

"Why not ally with the Volturi?"

They are never anyones ally. I'd seen them betray many of their so called friends.

"They hide us, but only care to further their own power. I'm less safe there than here. At least here I have a small chance of escape."

The most calculating look crossed his face then; it was a look I'd learn to both fear and respect.

"You realize that I can have you killed at any time, correct?"

"I'd be a fool to think otherwise."

"Then you are going to become a part of this coven. You are going to share a room with Alice, get your things and get ready to move in."

...What?

I didn't know how to react to that outside of shock and confusion. Why on earth would he want me to be a member of his coven?

"My reasons are my own; please don't make this harder than it has to be. I despise violence."

I just nodded my head and left. Esme has to unlock everything, but I hardly noticed. Now I knew why Alice looked so mad. She must have seen this coming somehow. I really needed to ask her specifics. Her power...if used correctly it could do many things. That's if what I suspected was true.

But that would have to wait. Right now I needed to find Alice and ask her about this arrangement. That wouldn't be hard if I would just follow her voice. She was vampire yelling at someone, so it wasn't loud, but loud enough to suggest anger or passion.

"How can he just do that?! You know that this isn't like Carlisle."

"Perhaps...but I'll have to agree with him. Having someone her age in our coven and tied down on our side would be invaluable. Especially since she knows much more than all of us combined."

"But Jasper, he _threatened _her with death! I don't mind sharing rooms with her, but forcing her to stay was already a bad decision. Now we are forcing her to become one of us! How wrong is that?"

"You live in a very ideal world Alice. You may not see it, but Natalie would happily sacrifice you and the rest of our family just to save herself. That threat was necessary."

"Even so, I don't like it."

"Which is why we allow Carlisle to make these hard choices. You would spare everyone if you could, but we can't afford that. Just thi-Natalie, you can stop eaves dropping now."

Stupid empaths.

Descending the rest of the way down the stairs, I turned and came into the living room where Alice, Jasper, and Emmett were sitting. Emmett had headphones on and was playing some PS4 game. Jasper was sitting down while Alice continued to pace about the room.

"I take it you heard all you needed to?"

"Yes, I think I have Jasper."

Emmett interrupted whatever the empath was about to say next. He finally noticed my existence.

"Old lady! Sit down and pick up a controller! It's time you learned how to play Battlefield."

I felt my one eyebrow twitch. He better not call me that all the time. But I complied. I had said I would try these things out, and if I was going to be forced to stay, I should get to know these people better. If only to make my existence here less miserable.

So Emmett unplugged the headphones, allowing the sounds of destruction and chaos to come through the surround sound speakers, and taught me how to play. My memory allowed me to pick it up in no time, and soon enough we were at the top of the leader-boards every time.

My favorite part was piloting the attack helicopters. Those things were brutal if used correctly. It was either that or sniping. Emmett loved driving the tanks or running around with some LMG. Our choices of play style truly represented our personalities. The only problem was that I may have accidentally crushed a few of the controllers.

What? I could be quite competitive, and Emmett had a way of pissing me off whenever he team-killed me. Stupid man-children. Always taunting you with such idiotic phrases and words. What the hell was a scrub?

I don't know how long we played, but when I finally called it quits the rest of the coven had somehow gotten in and watched without me noticing. That was mildly embarrassing. At least Rosalie looked pleased, I guess she just wanted her mate to have a friend to play games with. Apparently the rest of the coven didn't care all too much for video-games. Shame, these things were pretty fun.

So I excused myself and went to get a shower. Yes, I imposed, but that's what they get for making me stay here. They didn't seem to mind, so my attempt at subtly annoying them was a failure. Damn.

The rest of the week went by much like this. I got to know the family a bit better, mainly Alice. We seemed to be friends by the end of it, the rest were simply acquaintances. I learned much about her and her family's past, how she desperately wanted to know of her time spent as a human, and how she came upon her mate. How their family went through the trials of new members and the different powers. It...it was actually very touching. They truly were a family, not a coven. Each person was considered in the decision making, and that was very foreign to me.

My entire life and study had been based on hierarchy; Alpha, Beta, Omega, ect. You didn't mess with the alpha, and the alpha made the decision. The alpha need not be a person either, the Volturi are a perfect example. They are the alphas of the vampire world, just as that black wolf is the Alpha of his pack. The idea that everyone got equal say was...it was quite disturbing to me. It was actually very surprising for Alice to hear that, she had already accepted the idea of actual democracy long ago. America wasn't a democracy, never was, so true democracy was very, very foreign to me.

The one person I actively avoided was the human girl, Bella, due to me not wanting any attachment to her once she was killed. I had been given the explanation on why Edward wouldn't turn her, and I had to laugh at that. Any sane person would, but only me and Alice shared the lax viewpoint on becoming a vampire, but I suspect Emmett did as well. Jasper was jaded due to his past, Carlisle was a preacher, Esme shared her husband's religious viewpoint and Edward was her favorite, and Rosalie despised her existence. Why, Alice would not tell. Shame, I may be able to help. I did have the knowledge of a doctor in Clinical Psychology.

However, my campaign to hide from Bella was now being terminated by Alice, who thought it would be a good idea for a 'girls night out' (excluding the hottest of the girls) and it would be fun to shop in the big city. I wanted to go study the 'shifters' patrol patterns, something I had made a hobby of mine, and wait for my new PC to come. I ordered a top-of-the line rig, something that blew everything else outa the water. I wanted to play some grand strategy games, and I wanted the best graphics to do so. Shogun 2 Total War was going to look sweet.

So now here I was, with my glowing crimson eyes, in Alice's yellow overly expensive car. This shopping was to get me and Bella on talking terms before we went and played "Baseball" later this week. Alice so desperately wanted us to be friends, but I really didn't care. She was going to die, either by my hand or the Volturi's. Luckily Edward wasn't around, keeping those static thoughts up all day and night when he was home is beyond tiresome.

After more time, Alice emerged with Bella in toe. She wore more sensible clothing, something I had to give her credit for. Just worn jeans and a shirt, nothing fancy. Alice was in some designer shirt with a fancy scarf, with form fitting designer jeans. I will admit, I was caught checking her out by both Alice and Jasper; thankfully they seemed more amused than anything. I did not want to deal with an angry Jasper, I would die very quickly there.

"So. What are we doing again?"

"Shopping, silly! Did you forget?"

"Uhm. Maybe?"

No, Alice never told Bella of this little arrangement. Bella would have declined and got Edward to do something with her; at least that was what Alice claimed. I could hear this entire conversation through the tinted windows, in case your wondering. But it was over, now Bella was getting into the back as per Alice's instructions. She didn't know about me being here, how lovely.

Bella got into the back with some difficulty, it was a small fit and she was supposedly clumsy. Eventually the human sat down on the black leather seats and looked right at me, mainly because I was turned around looking at her. That blood of hers...it was enchanting. Just like last time she froze, and I stared. Alice got into the drivers seat and I soon felt a petite hand grasp my shoulder. I just turned back around without another word.

"Uhm. She going shopping too?"

I could hear the nervousness, and it made me feel somewhat proud for some reason.

"Yup! You both are hopeless when it comes to clothes, so I'm shopping for you guys!"

"Wait a second. You said I just had to tag along!"

"I did? I don't think I did...are you sure you're not going senile in your old age?"

"My old-Alice Cullen I will jump out of this car."

"You would never!"

"Do you want to test that?"

A pause.

"How about, err, how about you just focus on the road?"

Bella's discomfort broke our banter. I told you I was a child, and Alice had a way of dragging out the real you. If I knew any better I would say it's her second power.

"Soooooo. Hows Bella been?"

"Alice, you just saw me yesterday."

"Yup."

A very, very tired sigh.

"I'm doing just fine Alice...How did she get you to come?"

"Alice has a way of getting what she wants. Even I am not immune to her charm."

"Ah. So..."

Was she really trying to make conversation? I looked at Alice and she gave me a glare. Musta known I was about to be an ass. Since when did she know me so well?

"...How old are you?"

"Aren't you scared?"

She seemed confused. My question was very direct.

"Uhm. Scared of?"

"Vampires. At the very least me. I'm a proud human drinker, yet when I met you you only seemed mildly surprised."

"Well, yeah. I'm in a house filled with friendly vampires. Why be scared of one? Right?"

"What about now? What's to stop me from ripping Alice's head off and draining you?"

Alice seemed a bit unconfertable, but stayed silent. Bella didn't seem to concerned.

"If that happens, then it happens. As a human I can't do much to change that, I've already accepted that."

An answer I didn't expect, but one I could respect. She knew her place in the world, and that was something most her age and those her senior couldn't. Perhaps I'd been quick to mark her as doomed.

From the little I asked about Bella, I knew she was immune to Edward's ability to read minds. This meant that she was likely able to block other mind based powers. That ability should not be wasted. Maybe. Maybe I could turn her myself if this family continued to refuse to intervene.

The rest if the ride was spent mostly in silence. Be to once we reached the mall, Alice came to life and broke that peaceful oasis. The over active vampire dragged us through the shopping center, bouncing from store to store looking for the 'perfect' look.

It was kinda fun, watching Alice torture poor Bella with set of clothing after set. She was pretty good eye candy, especially whenever she wore a tighter outfit. A pity Edward was the abstinence type. My turn wasn't nearly as long as Bella's, mainly because Alice knew I had limited patience for it. I turned a few heads, and Bella looked a bit jealous, so I was pleased enough. My childish ego was stroked.

I wouldn't say we bonded, but we did come to an understanding of sorts. Bella knew that I honestly couldn't care less about this relationship drama, and that I wasn't afraid to speak my honest opinion. She knew she could ask me anything and get a honest answer about it. She also learned that I had been rooting for us to dispose of her, something she did take a mild offense to. Oh well.

I learned that Bella was pretty smart, but secretive about it, and that she was rather clever. She explained a bit of her upbringing, the divorce, and mentioned her friend Jacob. I wanted to meet him sometime, learn more about those legends she mentioned, but that was for another time.

Outside of that I understood where Bella stood in all this. She just wanted to become an actual member of the family she felt she always belonged to, connected to since meeting them. Become what she felt she was destined to be, so she could finally be herself. I could and did sympathize.

It was then that I decided. I would change her if they refused to. If anything this girl deserved it for keeping their secret and dealing with Rosalie, the woman wasn't pleasant to be around. Edward could go cry about it all he liked, but he didn't get to dictate who did and did not get changed. I was officially on 'team Bella' apparently.

Alice, of course, watched us with happiness in her eyes. As if this was the stepping stone to a deeper friendship between us. I doubted it, but I shouldn't assume anything when it came to this group of people and vampires.

Overall, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Certainly not the nightmare I had imagined.

That would all change the day of the baseball game.

* * *

**Please review and cya next chapter. Not sure when that one will be out, maybe sooner maybe later. Till then, I hope you've enjoyed up to this point.**


	4. The Arrival and Deadly Surprises

**In case you haven't noticed yet, which I doubt a bit, I've screwed with the timeline a bit when it comes to the Victoria arc time. My logic goes like this; James is a tracker, meaning he is well versed in finding scents. He smells Natalie, tells his little group, and they decide to wait a small amount of time before going to Forks.**

**One can never be too careful, and Victoria's little sense pry hinted at her to not go. It was a very volatile situation for some time after Natalie's arrival. The Cullen's wouldn't have been nearly as diplomatic as in the books. Not that I particularly like the official series, but that's irrelevant. If you truly wish to know my opinions on Twilight for whatever reasons just send a PM.**

**Also, I think now is the time to warn of this since I forgot to mention it. This has some minor to major AU elements pertaining to the lore of Twilight. This is pretty evident, but this is the official AU statement.**

**Onto what you came here for.**

Just A Nomad

The three days leading up to this baseball game were very interesting ones. I finally got to asking Carlisle about the "werewolves" and what he revealed was just shocking. He claimed that they were shape-shifters, ones that were stuck with only being able to shift into wolves.

Why? He did not know, nor did he know what triggered their shifting. It appeared as though emotions caused the change, and through Edward he could deduce that they did indeed have a 'pack mind' when in wolf form.

Outside of this he knew next to nothing about their biology or origins, only that they looked to be designed to kill vampires.

They were faster than us.

They had an affinity to sensing us out specifically.

Their claws and teeth could tear into us, something not even most modern kinetic weaponry could do.

Basically, they looked to be the pest control of vampires in this region. Thankfully Carlisle had made a treaty with the tribe's past leader. Me being here complicated it a wee bit, and by that it basically nullified it for me and me alone. However, as long as I stayed on their side of the border I should be fine.

Luckily the shifters were just as ignorant when it came to our biology, otherwise they wouldn't have even spoken to me. Actually, they may have just violated the treaty to get to me. So it was a very good thing they didn't know what eye color symbolized.

It was a shame he had ethics in experimentation. I would have loved to dissect a few to see if there were any noticeable changes in the human form. If not, then they truly could change the shapes of their bodies at will, and increase their mass somehow. That was the real question. If they could manipulate mass.

I used to have personal moral objections when it came to experimentation, but time changes everything, even beings who cannot die of age. I'm not outright cruel, but I'm not benevolent either. Some of the best research came out of unethical methods, so why not allow it?

Those times were gone though, now I would be tied to this coven for the very foreseeable future.

That wasn't all I did, vampires didn't sleep, so that conversation didn't last for three whole days.

I attempted to get the wolves to speak to me again, but outside of glaring they never budged. So I simply followed them to the best of my ability, rattling off question after question about their heritage. I think by the end of the final day the alpha at least tolerated me, he seemed to be mildly pleased I was asking about his tribe's history and culture.

I was curious about their history, it might hold a clue as to how this change happened, but it was mostly me trying to get on their good side. If that silver one even had one. He was especially short tempered, so I was content to simply watch and keep track of where they went when he was around.

Knowing a creature's unconscious movements and patterns was invaluable in escaping a hostile situations. So my following wasn't exactly purely for intellectual enlightenment. I did plan on going into their territory again sometime, to observe how they interacted with the general population of the reservation.

If they acknowledge them as different, then the entire reservation population was harboring a very strange secret. One I would be happy to be in on.

Alas, the day of this game came without me gaining any other useful knowledge.

Bella had already seen this happen before, but the concept of vampires playing a human game was foreign to me. Vampires usually found their entertainment in one of three ways; indulging their base instincts, pursuing some kind of knowledge, or seeking out companionship with other vampires.

I fell into the second, with the Cullen's falling into the last. Most nomads were the first. Once vampires found companionship they often acted like a pack and claimed territory. Those coven's spent most of their time trying to maintain or expand their influence, and in off time would either indulge in instinctual pleasure or pursue knowledge.

Basically, most vampires found companionship, formed a pack, and either claimed territory or constantly moved.

Never before had I seen a coven quite like this; they were so...human.

So, I opted to observe rather than participate. Alice must have already seen my decision in advance and told the rest, because they didn't seem very surprised or keen on trying to convince me otherwise. So me and Bella watched this spectacle as thunder boomed above us.

And quite the spectacle it was.

Having a mind reader on one team and a clairvoyant on the other proved to be quite interesting. For one it took about twenty highly entertaining minuets for them to finally pick teams, with both Edward and Alice believing to have the correct skill set needed to win.

Me, Esme, and Bella outright laughed at the bickering. Esme was being the umpire, so she stood by us on the sidelines until the two teams finally got their shit together and began to play. The two talked about Edward and how he and Bella are great for each other. Really sappy stuff.

Let me be the first to tell you this, vampires playing human sports was likely going to be one of the funniest things I will ever have the pleasure of seeing. Bella couldn't follow, but my chuckles got her to smile and ask what was happening. I tried to describe a how a vampire sliding looked, but I just gave up and told her she'd have to wait and see for herself. Not to mention how Edward somehow always collided with his teammates when he went to catch a ball.

How on earth did a mind reader collide with someone?

My comment on her waiting to see herself actually really lifted her spirits. Apparently Jacob had been being a little weird lately, and not just because he had a really bad crush on her.

Teenage love. So sickening. Anyone who thought otherwise was very naive or brain damaged. It was nothing but lust and raging unstable emotions. This lead to many, many dangerous things and severe consequences, suicide being one of them.

But, someone had to keep Rosalie from pulling her usual shit, and since no one else in the family either cared enough to step up or was too timid, I did. So her approach stopped my mind from wandering further. She must have struck out again, she wasn't very good at this.

With rather obvious intent I moved to the other side of Bella and kept my eyes locked on the blonde as she paused on her very obvious approach. All it took was for someone to stand up to this bitch for her to back down, so why none of the others did is beyond me.

I was growing rather found of this girl.

"Thank you."

Without glancing at her I just nodded. My attention was still on the very vain vampire slowly moving back into the batting order line. But I did hear Bella open and close her mouth a few times, as if she really wanted to ask me something but feared doing so.

Apparently she decided that getting within nanometers of my ear and whispering it to me was a good idea. Seeing as this was meant to be a secret I doubled my static, ensuring the overprotective Edward hadn't that faintest hope of overhearing. If that was the proper term for mind raping people.

"Do you approve of my relationship?"

It was a simple question, one that nobody but Alice may be aware was asked. The answer...it wasn't nearly as simple.

Bella was asking me discreetly as to keep the conversation private, something she was aware that I valued greatly. The reason she was asking me now was due to my continued attempts at avoiding her, something I had been successful in until now.

Did I approve of human vampire relations? To a degree, personally I thought it to be a very dangerous choice in mate due to humanities fragility and inability to comprehend things in their short lives. Granted, their advances in technology are astounding, but that's the work of an entire species. If vampires dedicated their lives to science we would have colonized the solar system by now.

However, I did subscribe to the idea of individual autonomy when outside of a hierarchy. Seeing as there truly wasn't one here, this counted as an two individuals consenting to being in a relationship.

Of course I approved of that. Who wouldn't? Outside of bigots and ignorant people.

However, this wasn't what she was asking. She was asking if I thought her and Edward were a good couple. This was likely a question she had yet to get an honest answer about aside from Rosalie, whose opinion mattered little.

Edward was a domineering man, one who thought himself superior to those around him in both intellect and ability. There wasn't anything wrong with that, many great men and vampires throughout history had this personality. He was also very manipulative, weather he meant to be or not I do not know, but he can very easily convince people to do things they do not want to.

That mind power likely, quite literally, went to his head. He subconsciously read everyone's thoughts. That would turn anyone into a deceiver.

Bella, on the other hand, was extremely humble and timid. Often times outright passive. She had confidence issues, as well as a possible inferiority complex. However, she's also very bright and has a manipulative streak in her, one that very rarely showed itself.

Alice told me many stories of how her and Bella were 'such good friends'. Sometimes I thought there was some sexual tension there, and Jasper winking at me when I thought this only confirmed this thought. I did not know Bella very well on a personal level, however I did learn a lot through Alice, and there was one thing that I was sure of in this very moment.

Their personalities are not compatible.

No matter what some naive humans may say, opposites are not good things to have in a relationship. Especially if they are extremes. In this case, you have a timid, insecure, and passive female with a domineering, arrogant, manipulative male.

This was a classic case of 'does not match' in the romantic section. These two are not going to be happy together, Bella will resent Edward for taking away choices she can clearly chose between while Edward will believe he is losing his very valued control over his mate whenever she snaps. Which she would, she already had a few times.

These two should not be romantically involved.

Edward needed someone with a backbone, someone who could and would say no from the start. This would allow him to come to terms with the idea of shared responsibility and power. Bella needed a very gentle and understanding mate who could guide her, not tell her what to do without saying why. As well as try to slowly ease away her insecurities, not simply dismiss them as silly.

So I made my conclusion known by looking right into her eyes and slowly shaking my head.

Rather than looking devastated or angry, which I outright expected to happen, she simply nodded her head and looked very completive. Was she seriously reconsidering her relationship with Edward? Jasper said the two loved one another, but perhaps Bella may be felling a different kind of love?

That or he was lying...

It was entirely possible, Edward acted more like a very overprotective brother than boyfriend most of the time. In my short time here I had learned more than I cared to know about those two due to the constant debate in the house over the dilemma.

I swear, these vampires were the biggest bunch of drama queens on the planet. Either accept it to a be a draw or decimate your opponent in verbal discourse. It was not that hard. Especially if you were going to be honest about it. Honesty seemed to be a bit lacking in this coven. They were far too human for comfort.

Not to say vampires didn't lie, they just lied to gain power. These vampires lied to spare each other's feelings. The only feelings vampires usually cared about are their mate's or VERY long term coven members.

My musing was broken when Alice went stiff and Edward snapped his head right at her. Instantly Edward was by Bella's side as I stared confused between the two, Bella was just as clueless.

"Alice?" Esme was already out there, trying to get Alice to open up. The rest of the coven too converged on her position, excluding myself and Edward. I could hear everything just fine from right here.

"I couldn't see them until now..."

"Shit, at least we'll get to fight?"

"No, Emmett, they are just curious. There is no need for violence." That was stated by Carlisle with a very strong edge of authority. Perhaps there was a hierarchy here after all? But I still had no idea what they were talking about, so I asked Edward through my thoughts.

"Nomads, three of them. All blood drinkers." He told me in vampire as to avoid tipping Bella off, and I didn't outwardly react as to keep the facade up. Internally I was torn between cursing and celebrating. I may be able to leave now.

But did I really want to?

This may have been the happiest I've been in many years, pursuing academic pleasure was nice, but the loneliness of it all got to me from time to time. Lacking a mate only contributed to that, as did my reluctance to make any new connections.

But now my forced staying here was starting to produce those bonds; already I felt attached to both Alice and to some degree Bella. The family was good enough company, I could get used to Emmett's antics and the other quirks of the coven. Of course, I would have to separate from them to further pursue my academic ambitions. I don't think they would approve of my practices, but that didn't mean I couldn't try to be a part of this coven. Even though we may not ever be too close due to our different views on feeding.

Perhaps. Perhaps I should try to help these vampires more than I have.

"-can't run. We don't need them catching her scent and beginning a hunt."

I could solve that problem. We should not have Bella here in front of them. That's much too risky.

"I can run her."

The family turned to face me, and they all looked expectant. I'm surprised Edward, at the very least, didn't flip or dismiss me. Perhaps I had been a bit quick to judge him?

"I can amplify my scent to overpower hers, it should mask it enough to prevent tracking her specifically. We all know that having her here is too risky."

To my left Bella looked to be really uncomfortable, but also very confident in our ability to protect her. Even if she claimed to not be shaken by the possibility of dying, all mentally sane and healthy humans were. It was what drove them to such great lengths and depraved lows, it was what drove all of us.

"How can you amplify your scent? Is that a gift?"

These vampires had much to learn.

"No, any vampire can ramp up or decrease the amount of 'scent' they give off. We don't have time to discuss this, either let me leave or risk them finding her like I did."

A few glances with some nods and shakes and they came to their conclusion.

Edward stared intensely at me and spoke for them. I could feel the animosity flow from him as he grit his teeth to tell me the good news.

"Take her and leave. Now."

"How long?"

"Under five minutes."

Without a second thought I sprinted around the field and overwhelmed the area. This way I hoped to avoid a very obvious trail leading away from the area that was very out of place. On my way back I scooped up Bella, who let out a mildly terrified yelp, and sprinted in the direction Edward pointed to.

Now that I had the girl, where was I going to go...?

I could go to the Cullen home, but they may have to invite the nomads to visit to keep up appearances. Not to mention that these vampires could always pick up on Bella's faint scent that was mixed up in mine.

Speaking of Bella, she smelled absolutely _delicious_. I had to give Edward some credit, being in close proximity really was intoxicating to the senses. It was like having your favorite food danged in front of you when you were starving. I even fed before coming here to ensure no risks, but I still could hardly resist the temptation to sink my teeth into her beautiful, soft skin.

I needed to get away from this girl. At the very least put some distance between us. But I couldn't, I needed to carry her to safety, and I couldn't put her-

Wait.

The wolves. I could put her on the reservation. I knew the pack's patrol patterns and we were near a very large opening. One that wouldn't be covered for another solid two hours.

This was the only way Bella would be surviving this little trip. Unlike the Cullen's I had no moral convictions keeping me in check, the only thing stopping me from draining this teenager was my own mild attachment and fear of retaliation.

Let me tell you, fear and mild attachment cannot overcome a vampire's blood-lust once it reaches its peak. This human, for whatever reason, brought out the most base instincts in the vampires around her.

Diverging from my planned course, Bella let loose another squeak at the sudden change. If I was to be honest, he fear was rather adorable. The closer I got to the territory line the more I repressed my own smell, I couldn't risk them sensing me.

Crossing the musky threshold, I continued deeper into their territory. I still had to get Bella to some semblance of civilization, Jacob lived here and _good god _this girl smelled amazing!

Seeing a tree line I quickly dropped Bella from the bridal carry I had her in and breathed a mild sigh of relief. I had been dangerously close to snapping. Just having a few feet between us was making all the difference.

"You'll be safe here, I can't carry you anymore. I just about drained you on the way here."

Getting up with a small sigh, Bella looked at me with a small smirk. How she found this amusing only she would know.

"So...you know about the werewolves then too?"

"Not werewolves. Shifters, no time to explain, I will once this all blows over. The Cullen's keep some secrets from you, secrets I'm going to tell you later. Now go find Jacob, I need to get out of here ASAP."

Her smile fading, the brunette seemed to struggle with something before she gave me a nod and awkward wave.

I was about to bolt when I heard it. The thudding of paws on dirt and deep, heavy breathing.

My death was rapidly approaching.

How the hell did they find me!?

Bella must have seen my distress, because I could hear her asking if I was okay, but I blocked her out. I needed to know how many there were...what I heard did not bode well for me.

There were five of them. Five fucking wolves were coming to kill me. I didn't even know there were five!

Shit.

_Fucking shit!_

I only had one possible way out of this, and that was to use Bella as a hostage. These wolves had told Carlisle they were to protect the people of Forks, so human feeding or killing was not allowed.

I hope I caught them in a forgiving mood.

Twirling around I wasted no time in yanking Bella into my person. Clamping one had over her mouth with the other at her throat, I had to wait a single excruciating second as Bella struggled and tried to scream. I just shoved my hand deeper into her mouth.

I didn't even notice her smell, my mind and body were completely focused on survival.

In that second the five beasts came within visual range. Instantly I recognized two of them; the massive black wolf as well the smaller silver one. There was an brown colored one the same size as the silver one, as well as a rusty colored one in near equal size to the black one.

The final one was very small compared to the others, but was also the fastest. It was a blur even to my eyes, with its snowy white fur the smaller wolf looked almost like a specter come to kill me.

I felt a chill tingle up my spine. At least Bella had finally shut-up.

At long last, after two more seconds, the beasts crashed into the small clearing I held Bella up in and fanned out to circle us. The rust colored one looked torn between crying and being the most enraged thing on the planet.

What on earth had I been thinking?

"Now, wait guys-" Even I could hear to terror that shook my normally monotone voice. I was truly terrified. I didn't want to die here. "-just let me leave and she's all yours."

They only growled louder, especially the two large ones.

I responded in grasping Bella's airway tighter. Her wheezing breathing got them to reconsider, but I continued to twist my head around as to try and keep the wolves in sight. Never once did I meet their eyes.

The black one retreated behind a tree and came out changed no more than five seconds later. Shirtless, as usual.

"Why are you here? You have ten seconds to explain before we rip you to shreds."

At least I appeared to have a way out. I really must have made a good impression.

"Bella needed protection from other vampires, so I brought her here."

He looked skeptical.

"And that's why you're about to kill her yourself?"

"It was the only way to keep you from killing me on sight."

His eyes hardened, and I heard the pack slowly start to close the circle they prowled around.

"Please, Sam, don't do this." I was not above begging. But his features twisted into that of anger.

"Don't you pull that shit. If you were "vegetarian" like the Cullen's I might have let you go, but you're a monster. You need to be destroyed. I'd apologize, but I'm not sorry."

Utter hopelessness filled me. I had been played, they were going to kill me either way. If I could somehow get over that treaty line...

I no longer had time to think, the silver one lunged at me with a vicious snarl. I put Bella between us and instantly the huge rusty one blurred and slammed into my would-be attacker. Without any hesitation I sprinted for my life through the hole that had been made, Bella in my arms and now without a hand in her mouth.

She was one pissed off teenager, not that I could blame her. The string of curses seemed a bit extreme, but if I lived through this then we could discuss it later. Right now I had to focus on surviving.

Not looking back, I heard their footsteps fade, most of them fade, all but one had been left behind in the fight that followed the large one's intervention. I ran as fast as I could, but it wasn't enough. It was still gaining!

Turning to use Bella as a shield once more, I hardly had time to stop before I noticed a flash of white and Bella suddenly missing from my now very slack grasp. Hearing Bella let loose a grunt from behind me, I turned to face my attacker when I felt two large paws slam into my shoulders and force me to the ground.

Instantly I turned over and tried to force my fists into its underbelly, but my efforts were for naught. I was able to turn over but my reward was the feeling of my skin being broken by three huge and insanely sharp claws.

I screamed in pain, but forced myself to look back and finally meet the eyes of my soon-to-be killer. My crimson orbs met it's furious, beautiful golden eyes.

My world forever changed.

* * *

**I think it's time I confess something. **

**This is an alternate account made for this specific side-project and other possible Twilight fics. So updates will be slow (by my standards) and sometimes sporadic. This idea came to me while I was on vacation with all but this chapter being done and edited on an IPad.**

**My usual fanbase (a very humble 60) pry wouldn't welcome or appreciate this story/series too much. My real pen name is KillerKown12, in the off case one of you do know who I am. Which I highly doubt. **

**If any of you have issue with the new "lore" I've made then PM me and I'll explain my logic. **

**As always, reviews are more than welcome. ****(IE: Please leave one!) **

**Till next time. **


	5. Broken Heart and Body

Just A Nomad: Broken Heart and Body

This could not be happening.

Not here, not now, not when I'm about to be slaughtered by these wolves! I was looking into the science of mating not just for the knowledge, but because I too wanted one. Every vampire I came across usually had their mate, almost all of them had either a singer to obsess over or a mate to love.

All but me.

Not to say I was bitter, or couldn't indulge in sexual activity; I just found myself desiring companionship as the decades dragged on. I was a naturally introverted person, but even the most isolated of us feels the need for love.

Now it seemed fate was going to mock me. I had given up on fate simply due to my lack of a mate, and here it was rearing its ugly head in my final moments.

My right cheek burning from the claw wound, I continued to stare into its eyes as its jaws descended to rip my face and skull to pieces. I couldn't hurt it, and I didn't even want to. Whoever this was, he or she was now my very reason for existing.

I would always put them first, even before my own life. However, fate isn't nearly as cruel as I make it out to be.

In those golden orbs I saw the same feelings of love and adoration that had settled in my heart no more than a second ago. Those same feelings turned to resentment and anger, but the wolf stopped its attack almost immediately.

Bonding was usually a one-way feeling at first, with the one being bonded on fully developing the same feelings a few years after prolonged contact. Mutual bonds were rare, mutual bonding of different species is unheard of.

The three deep scratches on my cheek rapidly healing, I stood and we simply stared at one another. Neither of us knew what to do, and we were running out of time. I doubt that this person wanted to be with me in any capacity, and if its pack-mate's reactions were to go by, I would never be welcomed.

I could feel my heart start to crack, but it stood strong in the face of rejection. At least that was what I continued to tell myself. My unrequited love hurt me much deeper than I wanted to admit to anyone, especially myself.

Moving over to the very furious yet curious Bella, I threw her over my shoulder as I heard the pack begin to make its way back to me. Taking one last look at the beautiful white wolf and its very conflicted eyes, I told my one and only chance at romantic happiness the only words it would likely ever hear from me.

"I'm sorry."

I had wanted to sound remorseful, but it came out sounding just pathetically broken. Gods, maybe I should begin to take up praying after all, just in the off hopes of fixing this mess.

Losing a mate was one thing, but having your mate reject you was an entirely other matter. There was emotional pain, and then there was emotional torture. Every second I lived I would forever be reminded of this being, and how I loved them, of how I wanted to make them happy, and of how they wanted nothing to do with me.

The expression life sucks could not convey it enough. Life fucking sucked, it sucked hard.

Disregarding the whimper I heard, I looked on as it closed its eyes and began to make some kind of crying sound as it bowed its head in either shame or sadness. From the utter resentment I saw it was likely the first.

Without another word I took off and crossed the border. The last I heard of those things was a loud, broken sounding howl followed by a chorus of other ones, only they were a mix between anger, happiness, and sadness.

It didn't matter, nothing mattered, it didn't want me and I had the respect in me to allow it to make that choice. I was not about to force myself on another and bond them to me for life, that was beyond cruel. And right now I had other problems, problems like Edward and the Cullens; they were not going to be pleased by my actions.

"W-Was that your mate?"

"It was supposed to have been, but it didn't want me."

I heard a shocked gasp, and I could tell her anger was now forgotten. She must be able to tell how internally shattered I am.

"Why did you run?"

"I...I have enough respect for it, let's call it a he, I respect him enough to not force my companionship on him for all of eternity. Have you no idea how cruel that would be?"

"Wait...I think they have mates too!"

"What?"

"The were-...shifters, they have bond mates called imprints. From what I saw, you're his imprint."

I stopped talking after that, and so did she. We were close enough to her home to allow us only thirty seconds before we arrived. There may have been some semblance of hope to scavenge what we might have had, but it was now gone due to my running.

I needed to leave this place, I needed to leave this hell hole and never return. I must find out the secrets of mating to find a way to break this bond, that way I can try and be happy without them. The Cullen's can complain all they want, only death will stop me from leaving.

Coming to a stop behind Bella's house, I decided that a goodbye was probably the best decision here. Simply disappearing was both impolite and rather melodramatic. So I set Bella down and allowed her to get her balance before saying what I had to.

"You won't be seeing me again, Bella, I wish you the best of luck."

Shocked and sad doe eyes stared back at me. I hope she won't make this difficult.

"W-wha? Why?"

"For one, I never intended to stay here with this coven. Two, I need to avoid being tracked down and killed by those shifters. Three, I need to avoid your vampire family; and four, this place has damaged me more in under a two months than seven centuries has."

"I..." She was at a loss for words with that, and really, what could you say to that?

"I hope you find whatever you're looking for then. I plan on finding you once I turn."

That brought a small smile to my face; seems she liked me more than I thought.

"Sorry Nat, but you won't be going anywhere."

For the love of everything unholy. That was Emmett, and if Emmett was here then Alice had to be involved. Turning to face the voice of the man-child, I saw both Jasper and Alice to the side of him. Emmet had his arms crossed with the smuggest look on his face, Alice looked to be between heartbroken and determination, while Jasper had the saddest look on his face.

"Natalie, what are you doing? Why would you have to hide from us?"

That would be Alice, and she did indeed sound heartbroken. I didn't tell them that I practically sacrificed Bella to save myself. I didn't regret it, self-preservation was an even stronger instinct in vampires than humans, but I did regret what that action would cause.

"It's none of your business. Now stand aside, you're not going to stop me."

"Absolutely not."

"Excuse me?"

"If I let you leave, I will never see you again; we will never see you again!"

Was she that blind? Only these three cared for my existence, and I was sure even that was minimal for the males. Hell, I was a political pawn; a very unwilling one at that.

"Alice, I'm nothing more than a political pawn to your family. Don't try to use that emotional garbage on me; it's not going to work this time."

Alice recoiled at my statement, Emmett looked confused, with Bella joining him and Jasper was his usual stoic self. Only his face betrayed him with a small frown adorning it, he must have put his mask up when I wasn't looking.

"What do you mean by that?"

We vampires faced the lone human among us in her back yard. They really do keep this girl in the dark, don't they? I really did feel for her, no person, be they human or vampire, should have to go through dealing with a family like this.

They just didn't share anything, anything that could cause conflict they avoided like the plague. The short-sightedness of this policy was beginning to show.

"I see they didn't tell you that I would be dead had I not agreed to stay here."

"W-Wha-What?!"

She appeared to be somewhere between furious and depressed. Understandable really, her so called family continued to hide everything from her and treat her like a small child. Nothing could be farther from the truth, if anyone here was capable of facing the world it would be Bella. She was strong, this one, stronger than most gave her credit for.

"Yea, could you repeat that?"

Oh Emmett, you are truly the joke of the coven. Granted, only Jasper, Esme, Carlisle, and Alice may know of this.

A sudden pulse of heart wrenching pain gripped my chest. I let out a small gasp and clutched at my dead heart, my troubles with mating would never be gone from me. I just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, but I knew that I was physically unable to do so.

I would move on, I had to mov-

The very thought of moving on nearly brought me to my knees, and I was not the only one affected. Jasper let loose a cry as he too began to feel what I felt. Eyes clutched shut in pain, I heard Alice beg for a share of whatever he was feeling, and he obliged.

Alice joined in Jasper's suffering, and together I heard the two strengthen themselves to a point of resistance.

I would never have someone like that for me...

"I'm leaving Alice, you'll have to kill me to stop me."

Doing the best to disregard to my crumbling emotional state, I turned to run, but nothing is ever that simple.

"Oh no you don't!"

Almost instantly Emmett surrounded me with his massive arms and stopped me from moving. He didn't squeeze me, or try in any way to harm me, but it still hurt. I was going to have to use my secret weapon, a weapon that only the most educated and controlled of vampires could use.

The Feral State.

The feral state is when a vampire digs into its inner beast, becomes one with it, and controls it. The only reason I knew of this ability was due to my extensive research on vampire history and anatomy. I learned it from a vampire monk who lived deep in the Himalayan mountains. He was well over a millennia old.

Digging into the deepest, darkest recesses of my being, I found the carnal beast all vampires are given the moment they are created. Every creature has its dark side, and I molded with mine.

I felt a surge of unbelievable strength rush through me; my senses sharpened even further as my eyes turned black as night. My skin turned an ashen grey as my teeth all became daggers, even my nails sharpened to a lethal point.

However, we still had a human here, and we were close to a human development.

It was time to change that.

My clawed hands reached for my attacker's arms and dug into them with reckless abandon. Ignoring his hiss of pain I ripped through his iron grip and spun, instantly I saw shock and fear cross his face before I latched onto his left arm and ran.

I left the three behind as I drug Emmett through the forest and let loose a small chuckle. I couldn't help but enjoy the use of this euphoric power I had over those around me. It felt good to be in control. It felt fucking amazing to finally be the master over my own fate.

With sufficient space between me and the human settlement, I tossed Emmett into a small clearing ahead of us. It was a solid 50 meters away, but throwing a vampire was a relatively easy task. We didn't weigh that much.

The monster of a vampire crashed through the wood and left a path of splinters and fallen trees in his wake, as well as a solid trail of soft dirt. Wasting no time, I set upon my target with near lethal intent.

I didn't count on Emmett to be smiling as he blocked my first strike with both his arms.

"About time I get to fi-"

I didn't have time for this shit. Both his arms were blocking my one leg from reaching his head, so I swung with the other. My foot collided with his marble skin and let lose a loud boom; I followed through as he let go of my other leg in either shock or pain.

As his face began to dig into the earth, Emmett snatched the foot grinding his head into the dirt and threw me out of the clearing and into the woods. I didn't even notice the bark break against my back as I let my instincts take over.

Landing on my feet, I saw a grinning white boulder come flying at he. With a smirk of my own I waited. And waited. Just before his body was going to slam into mine, I gracefully sidestepped and palmed his face with my clawed hand.

A pregnant pause, one that lasted milliseconds as his momentum carried the rest of his body midair, and then I once more rammed his obviously very thick skull into the ground. This time I didn't let up, not even acknowledging his cry of pain as my nails dug into his face, I continued to pound the back of his head into the ground.

Three full seconds passed before a small pixie-like thing pounced onto my back and I felt teeth dig into my shoulder. Letting go of the downed man child, I desperately grasped at my back with little hope of dislodging my previous friend and ally.

She was stalling, Jasper would either be here soon or went to gather the rest of the coven. Either way, I didn't have time for this. Leaping backwards I heard the sound of breaking bark and saw the pieces of wood flying past us.

Alice let loose a gasp, which was all I needed to snag her by her short hair and flip her over my shoulder. Had I did that with her teeth still in me I would be missing a huge chunk of shoulder. The small vampire reached to latch onto my arm, but I pulled away just in time to avoid that lethal grip of hers.

Rapidly standing up, Alice and I took two seconds to simply stare at one another. I could see that this fight was tearing her apart inside, but then her eyes steeled and I saw her blur towards me.

The time for words was over.

Unlike Emmett, Alice fought with some semblance of organization. Parrying her fist, I was forced on the defensive as she lashed out with blow after blow. Had it not been for this special state of mine Alice would have decimated me, but my enhanced strength, speed, and senses gave me the edge I needed to win this.

Ducking under a vicious kick, I finally saw an opening to attack Alice as she twirled around from the momentum of her strike. Closing the minimal distance between us, I unleashed the full furry of my speed with punch after punch.

I must be moving too fast for her to react, because she couldn't get her guard up. Slamming a fist into her perfect face, I followed up with a vicious kick to her side. Seeing Alice hunch over, I wasted no time in grabbing that beautiful hair she had and rammed her face into my kneecap.

She fell back onto her butt, and I slammed my foot into her face once more as I forced her head into the ground. Not giving the very dazed vampire a chance to recover, I mounted her and pounded my fists into her face and torso.

Vampires are tough, but they still have the anatomy of a human.

Hearing her ribs buckle under the stress of my strikes, I knew she was going to be stuck there for some time. Moving to finally leave this place forever, I felt my instincts rage at me to duck. Doing just as they demanded, I felt the air above me move as one Jasper Hale flew right over me.

I didn't know much about Jasper, but I did know one thing. He was a very, very experienced fighter. One who could probably destroy me in seconds should I make a single mistake.

Getting into a very, very generic ready position, I raised my fists and waited for him to strike. Seeing my stance, Jasper just smirked before he charged me.

That would be the last time I saw his face clearly in this exchange.

Blocking his first swing, his second connected with the side of my abdomen, but my enhanced speed blocked his following attempts to exploit that small opening. Even to my eyes his attacks were a blur, and I soon felt his leg slam into my side again. I felt bones creak just before I was rocketed into the forest around us.

He showed me the same amount of mercy I showed his mate and friend.

As I flew through the decimated wood that was our battleground I felt another strike connect. With a cry of pain I was sent hurdling the opposite way and my body left a trail as it skidded across the ground. Hardly having the time to recover, I felt my strength begin to wane as Jasper once more descended upon me.

This state drastically increased my combat ability, but it also drained me extremely fast. My lacking in stamina didn't help either.

Desperately trying to parry the relentless onslaught of Jasper, I felt more and more blows glace off or nip me. I was losing, and my body was beginning to ache as the strain of this fight finally got to it. Even though we didn't need to breathe, we were both panting and my lungs felt alight as a particularly hard punch landed on my shoulder.

The blow spun me and completely shattered my crumbling guard. Somewhere off in the distance I heard a howl, and my mind somehow felt different, but that may have been my exhaustion catching up with me.

Completing my involuntary 360, I was now fully open to whatever he had in store for me. With a flash I felt my chest nearly cave, and I just barely saw his foot land solidly on my chest sideways. Time slowed, and I caught his compassionate yet determined eyes before I was sent careening away from Jasper at insane speeds.

All I knew was pain as my chest throbbed and my back met the trees of Washington. I could feel myself reverting back to my original form, and all I could feel was a mixture of regret and sadness. The regret was probably from Jasper, but the sadness was all from me.

I had failed to keep Bella safe.

I had failed to close the distance between me and my mate.

I had failed to escape without conflict.

I injured one of the few legitimate friends I had on this planet.

I just fucked everything up, everything that had looked so bright just a day before now looked grim as death.

So as I landed on the cold, damp ground of Forks Washington, I felt nothing but crushing depression and chilling dread overcome me. I could hardly move, so I made no move to stand from my new crater home. I just lay eyes closed, awaiting my fate.

I didn't have to wait long.

Opening my eyes, my emotions only got darker as I saw what I had done to Alice. Emmett was carrying her in his arms like a small child due to his massive size, and her skin was webbed with cracks. Vampire skin was soft outside of hunting and combat, in either of the two scenarios it became harder than metal.

My mind falling completely out of its battle high, I felt my entire body become washed in agony as the symptoms of using that ability to its fullest took their toll. My skin too was spider webbed, cracks formed along my torso as my body lacked the blood needed to heal my wounds.

My strength was now a shadow of its former self, it was nearly at human level. My vampire senses dulled to that of an average animal, and I knew my eyes looked nearly devoid of life.

"Emmett, pick her up, _carefully_; I'll carry Alice."

"You got it. She really kicked our asses, didn't she?"

Jasper looked to be wrestling with something, but it came and went in seconds.

"Don't tell anyone about this until Alice wakes up. Most importantly, do not allow Edward to know of this."

What?

Emmett looked conflicted, but nodded his head in compliance after a few tense moments.

"We just going to say she lied about her fighting ability?"

Jasper's eyes never left my cratered state as he answered.

"No...she has a gift, and that gift is the ability to take a ton of damage before falling. Pain resistance, or stronger skin. That should explain her and our condition adequately."

"Understood Sir Serious. What's with the secrecy?"

"Alice's vision."

At that, Emmett went silent.

I was going to have to think about this more when my body didn't feel like it was on fire. This very open reveal of information was not meant for Emmett. As the massive vampire moved to pick me up, I saw Jasper tense.

"Emmett, wait."

"Uuuugh. Now what?"

"We have company."

My dulled senses could hardly make out the sound of five sets of feet making their way in our general direction. So, the wolves had come to finish what they started, eh?

I tried to make light of it, but the fact that all five of them were here further drove my heart towards the edge of oblivion. The sounds stopped, and I heard the deep breathing of five 'humans' nearby. How close, I did not know, but close of enough for them to see us for sure.

_"What did they do to you..."_

What the hell? When did I get some schizophrenic hallucination of a female voice? That was not a symptom of exhaustion, I knew that for a fact.

"Get the hell away from her!"

That same voice, only now in the real world, was screaming for the three vampires to move away from me. I could only see the trio, and the two conscious ones looked rather terrified. Alice was still blissfully unconscious.

"Why the hell would we do that? You're the ones breaking the treaty!" Emmett's voice boomed through the forest, but an equally loud yet deeper voice rose to the challenge.

"The treaty was null the moment you hide her existence from us! Now step aside, we will be dealing with her from now on."

"More like kill her! I'm not just ganna let yo-"

"Because what you've done is any better?! Look at her! She looks like death."

There was the female again, unleashing some kind of pent up anger at the Cullen trio. Emmett had the decency to flinch at her words. I must have looked worse than I thought.

Not that I could move my head to see a fucking thing.

"That doesn't matter..." He flashed to my side and started to lift me up. The simple act of touching my skin doubled the pain, and putting pressure on it made it unbearable.

It hurt, it hurt so bad. Gods, make it stop. Anything to make it stop!

I could only manage a whimper.

"I said get the fuck away from her!"

Three growls accentuated her point, and Emmett's hands disappeared from my body before I could even blink. Jasper bolted away, Alice cradled in his arms, and Emmett reluctantly joined him after a seconds hesitation and a look of regret.

I couldn't move too much, so I was a little surprised when three wolves came and stood in front of me. They looked to be scanning their surroundings for any trace of my previous allies. The silver one looked pissed beyond belief, with the brown one who looked neutral and the humongous rust colored wolf being reluctant yet compliant.

"So...that's her then?"

That would be the alpha, Sam, speaking to the unknown female.

A weary sigh. "Yes...I'll carry her."

"I know this is unusual Lee-Lee, but I won't let them take her away from you."

"Sam, I don't even know if I want to keep her. Not that I have a choice. Fucking imprinting."

So...my mate is a female. Eh, that's fine, I'm 100% bisexual as it stands. Living for 700 years would allow anyone to fully appreciate the anatomy of both male and female.

But I really didn't care about that, all I cared about was the fact that she was being coerced into being with me by some bond called an imprint. Bella was right, as usual, in her prediction.

A fresh wave of emotional pain surged through me and I closed my eyes in resignation.

"Fuck..."

"In hindsight, that wasn't the smartest thing you've ever said."

Hearing a person approach me, I reopened my eyes so I could finally see who I would forever love, be it consciously or subconsciously. I was not disappointed.

The first thing I noticed were her deep brown eyes, eyes that held a pain in them I could understand without even asking. Behind the outward anger she flashed me, I saw a tender side, a side that wanted me to be the answers to so many of her questions in her short life.

Then there was her short, tomboyish hair. It suited her body well, even from my downed position I knew her to be tall, really tall, about six feet. She wore a small shirt that revealed muscular yet toned arms, arms that kept their feminine nature while showing an impressive amount of strength.

The rest of this woman could be described like that, strong yet still distinctly feminine. I could tell her center was just as tone as her arms and shoulders; her legs weren't sticks either. This girl packed a punch, one I don't think I'd want to take any time soon.

Plus, she had bigger boobs than me. Total plus there. But for all my less than noble thoughts, I couldn't stop staring at her face.

She was beautiful, beautiful beyond any words in my impressive vocabulary. This was due to the nature of mating, but I didn't care, from the top of her forehead to bottom of her chin I loved every inch of the face before me completely and unconditionally.

"Damn, they really messed you up..."

I just grimaced.

She squatted down and awkwardly looked at me. I couldn't move too well, if at all, so she was going to have to carry me in some way.

Being careful of my injuries, she began to gently lift me up into her arms. But she didn't have to worry one bit, the simple touch of her skin, such warm, warm skin, soothed my pained body in ways I didn't think possible.

When she carefully maneuvered my small frame onto her toned back, I felt euphoria spread through me as the heat that radiated form her soaked into my skin and made me feel calm. It made me feel at home, at peace, as if nothing back could ever happen as long as this woman was beside me.

With my head snugly fit on my mate's shoulder, I felt a small jolt of pain flash through me as we took off. Even with this contact, I could still feel my body throb.

I had drained myself of all blood reserves, it usually wasn't this bad. However, that was the last thing on my mind. I only had one question on repeat as the wolves escorted us and the alpha to their territory.

What's going to happen to me now?

* * *

**The shifters are not a product of some spiritual story in this, here they are vampire killers, "made" to protect their tribe from human and vampire alike. Their past may never be known due to the nature of history and religious texts, but we'll see. **

**Yes, I gave them limited powers in human form. Not nearly as fast as a vampire, but still much faster than any human. And yes, I changed Leah's color for her wolf form. And yes, that was indeed Leah in Natalie's mind.**

**That last one shall be explained, in time, as well as the different phase times. **

**Please review the combat? Pretty please? I've never done first person combat before, and I'd like to know how I did. **

**Till next time. (Pleeeeeease review, need feedback to improve!)**


	6. Spiraling Downward

**I'm surprised nobody called plot hole, there isn't one, I assure you, but I am surprised.**

**Not sure if you got me PM MaryMary, but no. I don't even know what this site you speak of is. I'm going to assume the combat sequences were good until told otherwise, though I will be making tweaks of my own.**

**I changed the strength of imprinting, it's not OP as crap when it comes to meaning or love. **

**Onto what you came here for. **

Just A Nomad: Spiraling Downward

Our trip was longer than I had hoped, and extremely silent. This gave me time to think, think about what was going to happen next. Even in my pained state I could still make coherent thought, something I was rather proud of.

First and foremost, there was this mate problem. I call it a problem, but it's a bloody disaster. She and her pack despise what I am, what my body needs for survival, and how I see the world. I don't hold it against them, it makes sense.

They are here to protect people, my existence rotates around finding human prey. Animals may be just as bad for them, as they have Native American roots and teachings. Animals are a part of nature, a critical one at that for them.

Their hatred of my kind is not blind, nor is it entirely rational.

Knowing why they hate what I am did not bring me any comfort, if anything it caused me more pain. No matter what I did, no matter how much I changed, I would always be resented.

From the sudden grunt I heard from my transport, she too could somehow feel what I felt. What was this mind connection we seemed to have? How deep did it go? It didn't seem like she could hear me, but I could hear her.

_"-o screwed up. What did I do to deserve th-"_

And that too seemed to be random. Was this a part of their mating? Being able to feel the emotional and possibly physical pain of your imprint is both a gift and a curse. An imprint could simply control them through their connection, it was rather cruel.

Right there and then, I swore on everything that I was that I would never allow myself to manipulate her like that. I would do everything I could to shield her from my own feelings, to allow her to be independent of my will.

Once I found out how this worked, of course.

If we were to ever have a chance at being happy, it needed to be done through mutual want. Not through one sided manipulation. I was not about to coerce her into loving me, there would always be some level of resentment there if I did that.

I was foolishly deciding to hold out on giving up now that she and her pack had saved me, this would either leave me with a heart of dust or gold. I was not looking forward to find out which, I am somewhat of a cynic.

That and I don't like the looks some of the wolves are giving me.

Second was the Cullen problem. They had all my things, and were likely going through all of them without my permission. Hopefully they don't damage any of my books, they are a pain to rewrite.

But that was the least of my concerns regarding them.

For one this treaty the two groups had was officially broken, and apparently by the Cullens. Whoever was to blame, it was rather obvious that the friction between the two species was about to quadruple if the alpha decided to try and push the vampires out.

This was their natural territory, practically de jure. There no reason as to why the shifters wouldn't want all of Forks as theirs, it IS their home. My understanding aside, this was also rather low on my priority list. As much as these shifters may boast, I think they know that attacking the Cullens was close to suicidal.

It would explain why they didn't shred Emmett, Jasper, and Alice to pieces.

No, my real concern is how the coven will react. They could just barge into the reservation demanding my release into their 'care'. Really, they could do anything here. They had all the power in this situation, but the wolves didn't know that. They were completely ignorant of the vampire world around them.

Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is very, very dangerous; often lethal. How do you think I'm still roaming this world? Not by sheer luck, I can tell ya that.

This brought me to my final fear; what were the shifters going to do with me?

Some authority could obviously have my life snuffed out if what Sam had said was anything to go by. At least, Sam thought they could, or have it ordered to be done. Something along those lines; my survival may be at stake here.

Not that it wasn't before, but you get the point.

Gods, was it me or was the pain getting worse?

Feeling my consciousness begin to wane, I felt my senses begin to fully fail me as my vision blurred, followed by a lack of the sweet, yet somehow earthy smell that was my mate. My hearing was the last to leave me, even as my eyes unwittingly closed and my muscles failed.

"Whoa whoa! What the hell's wrong with-"

Suddenly it felt like I was falling, and I could do nothing as a foreign warmth gently held me up and stopped my decent. So, this is what it's like to be unconscious as a vampire? Obviously it was possible, anyone who thought vampires were invincible beings with God-like physical attributes was either foolish or human.

It was usually a combination of both.

"Shit. Jacob, Bella ever mention anything like this?"

I heard the sounds of...actually I didn't hear much. There was hardly a sign that he had shifted back.

"N-No. She only mentioned the eye thing on accident when she was talking to herself."

Finally I heard pacing, who it was I didn't know.

"Leah...Leah! You need to calm down, we can handle this."

And there goes that question. What's with the ringing? Was that just me?

"Don't you tell me to calm down! Imagine if Emily looked like that!"

"Here I thought you didn't care."

"Shut the hell up Jacob, you know it's not that simple."

"Guys, hate to break up your flirting, but she don't look so good."

"No shit Jared. Should we...should we take her to the Cullens?"

"Are you fucking mad?! Who do you think did this to her?! Just because you want to see _Bella _of all people."

"Here we go again. Leah, get that stick outa your ass. It's not funny anymore."

The ringing...make it stop.

"No-st-it!"

Please, please make it stop.

"-uck y-hit-th-"

Make it stop!

All I could hear was an unrelenting ring with the background being populated with snippets of conversation. The noise, that endless noise! It hurts!

_MAKE IT STOP!_

Please, whoever can hear me, make it sto-!

My mind went blank; all was dark and silent.

I awoke to the sounds of shallow breathing, and not my own. I wasn't breathing anymore, thankfully that...that damnable ringing was gone.

I have no idea what the hell that was, but I do not plan on repeating that to find out.

It felt like my head was being split open from the inside out, thank the Gods that it was finally over. I don't think I could take much more of that pain.

Opening my eyes, I finally noticed that my body no longer felt like it was about to break if I moved. My throat also felt to be healed enough for speech, but my senses continued to be crippled, I could tell the moment I took a breath that they were being heavily repressed.

The less blood a vampire has in its system, the weaker it gets. When it runs out of blood the body will begin to dampen powers and vampire ability as to preserve energy.

If I didn't get some kind of nourishment soon, I could very well end up dying.

Scanning the room around me, I noticed two very important things. One, that I was not alone; Leah was sitting in the corner of this small room. The second being that I was on a bed, and this was probably Leah's home.

The moment my eyes landed on Leah, her body went rigged before relaxing just as quickly. I then heard her heave a heavy sigh, one filled with exhaustion and worry.

"You gave us quite the scare there, leech."

I tried to sit up, but I only succeeded in rolling to face her with a pained groan. My mate made a move to help, but then caught herself and stopped.

"Any idea what the hell's wrong with you? We were just about to get Carsile-"

"No!" My horse voice was foreign to my ears, and I paused in some shock at how pitiful my position was, but soon continued. They needed to know that was a huge no-no.

"No...you can't get him, or any of them."

"Yea, thought that too. Holding Swan hostage isn't any way to make friend in this neighborhood."

Smartass. I just made a non-committal sound. Leah gave another weary sigh and adjusted her lax position so that she was solely focused on me and me alone.

"Look, we know that you probably need blood to get better, but the elders don't want to risk you running until they make a decision. So until then you're going to be right here."

"For both our sakes, I hope they decide quick."

"No shit. What's up with you anyway?"

I paused and averted my eyes; I didn't know how she was going to take this.

"I...as far as I know I'm slowly dying."

"W-What?"

Yea, didn't see this going well.

"I'm dying; not that you should really care, but I may croak at any moment here."

"For fucks sake-" She didn't sound too happy. "-, why does everyone assume I don't care? You're supposed to be my mate, of course I CARE, I just hate that I do."

"Then there's nothing to talk about. Give me blood, I'll leave and never come back. I was about to do that until those three intervened."

She looked confused at that. What was there to explain? Did she expect me to fight desperately for this bond? Unlike some vampires, I had something called respect for others.

"Why were you trying to leave? The Cullen's would have probably forgiven you."

That wasn't why I was trying to leave. Simpleton.

"You honestly think it's good for us to be near each other? You _despise _me and we're supposed to be mates. I'm not about to put either of us through that emotional torture."

"...I thought you may have bonded to me too, but I wasn't entirely sure. If it makes you feel any better, I'm cool with the fact you're a girl. It's the whole vampire thing I'm stuck on."

"Figured as much. Tell me, what options do your elders have for me?"

At this she looked hesitant, but opted for telling me anyway.

"Basically, this imprint stuff is supposed to be decided by some spirits-" I almost snorted at that. Bloody religion, so silly. "-so since they have apparently chosen us to be, this kinda screws with their view of mating. They could uphold our bond and adhere to the rules of old, or disapprove of it and make the decision to over-ride the so called spirits."

Interesting options there. Either openly admit their bias towards an entire species and declare our union indecent while simultaneously violating their tradition, or adhere to their old laws and trust in their so-called spirits.

Call me a cynic, but I think they'll go with the first. Personal bias tends to override religious tendencies.

"Which do you want?"

My mate shifted uncomfortably, but otherwise just continued to stare at me.

I'll take that as a 'no idea' then.

"Well. I've always prided myself in my honesty, so I think I owe it to you to tell you why I feel the way I do. Honestly, if I could unbound myself from you while keeping us both unharmed, I would in a second, but we don't have that option."

Trust me, I would do the same in a heartbeat.

"You kill things to survive, which isn't that bad. We do the same thing, we eat meat, but we are taught about how atrocious you're species is the moment we turn. I think. I think this hatred is dissipating the more we interact with you, but old habits die hard."

So, just like any other religion, they indoctrinate at an young age or in a moment of need. I would say interesting, but at this point it didn't really surprise me.

"Personally, I don't really buy it all too much, so that's not it. The problem is that you kill people to survive, and I can tell that you _don't care _that you kill people. I know you know of the 'vegetarian' diet, and made the conscious decision to not go on that diet. What makes you better than any murderer? Nothing, really, and despite what others will say I do have a heart."

I suppose she's technically right, I do kill people, and it is practically murder. However, after hundreds of years of doing the same thing I'm not about to surrender myself to the whims of some idiotic mating ritual or method. I am who I am, just as she is who she is, we will not change who we are just to fit into some prefabricated hole.

We will not surrender ourselves to this idea of destiny and fate so easily; if it is truly to be, we will be dragged kicking and screaming the whole way. My own feelings for Leah may have doubled when I saw that she was going to stay herself despite what had been ordained otherwise.

"I guess I can say that I do admire the way you are keeping true to yourself despite the pain this is putting you through. You can easily just change yourself, but are choosing not to. In some twisted way that's admirable; a murderer with integrity. Another thing, one I guess you really can't help, is that you cause us to change. The Cullen's presence here has started a chain reaction, one that can't just be stopped."

That would explain their lack of numbers. An interesting symbiotic relationship.

"We didn't want to be immortal guardians, or even mortal ones, we wanted to graduate and see the world outside of this reservation. It's nice here, and I wouldn't trade it for the world, but I want to see what else is out there. Now I can't do that, now I'm tied to this land with my only way out gone. Imprinting is the only way for us to turn mortal again. With you being a vampire, kinda fucks that process up."

At the end of her explanation, I did truly feel for Leah and she reminded me that not everyone want to be immortal, and not everyone wants these powers that can bring either prosperity or ruin. She just wanted to live her life to the fullest, fall for someone she had a choice in, have a family maybe, learn about the topics she felt passionate about.

With her changing, and us causing that change, she could no longer pursue what she wanted to do. She would never have a family in the traditional sense, it would be near impossible at best to get access to college level recourses.

I could teach her whatever she needed to learn about, but I doubt that would be appreciated.

Us being here messed up her entire life, it forced her to be something she did not want to be. It was going to force her friends to be things they didn't want to be too, and it turned her entire life upside down.

If anyone in this reservation has a right to be bitter, it's probably the girl before me. If there was anyone who I had no hope of ever being with, it was probably Leah. As much as that thought hurt me, it was time to truly accept that fact.

I was never going to be happy after this, I was never going to feel whole again.

"Ya know, I can feel what you're feeling. If it helps, I wouldn't wish this pain on anyone, not even you. I've had my heart broken before, feeling it from someone else is...it's shocking."

I wouldn't exactly call it shocking.

"Eh, lack of words."

"Why can you hear my thoughts, but I can't hear yours? Or even feel you?"

Again, Leah looked like she wanted to just run and never return, but she continued to face this problem like I somehow knew she did everything. Head on.

"That's because you've accepted the bond, so you let me in. I haven't, so you won't be feeling anything from me."

That...that didn't make any sense. I heard her earlier and even felt something. Was she lying?

"No, I'm not lying. The Imprintee is connected to the one who imprinted, so I knew you were in massive amounts of trouble. In that moment I didn't care about what or who you were, so I accepted it for that time to find and save you."

I'm not entirely sure how I felt about this mind reading thing. It feels more like mind rape, and I do enjoy my privacy. Is there a way for it to stop?

"Uhm. Try willing your thoughts to not be heard? Idunno, the others with imprints seem to love the mind exchange stuff, but I get it. I can't exactly stop hearing now that you've fully accepted me."

Well, that seemed easy enough. Closing my eyes, I imagined my thoughts (an odd description, I know) to be locked away inside of a vault, one that only I had the key for. With more concentration I also put a cap on my emotions, bottling them up into my own body in an attempt to minimize my contact with Leah.

Opening my eyes, I wondered if it worked. Judging from the blank look I got, I knew it did.

Good, I hated people intruding on my thoughts. They were the only things I knew to be genuine and my own, so having someone see them was rather disturbing for me.

Have I told you how beautiful her eyes are? I think I have. But as I continued to stare she seemed to respond to a stimuli I couldn't sense. Rapidly she faced the door, and soon I too heard the sounds of argument. A male and female.

Was that...was that Bella and Jacob?

"lla! Bella, you can't see her!"

"And why the hell not?!"

Oh, oh she sounded absolutely livid.

"Because she's a _human drinking vampire!_ Have you lost your mind? She held you HOSTAGE!"

"Don't you dare to lecture me on safety. Do you think it's safe for me to be around a bunch of hormonal teenagers who turn into giant wolves when they get pissy? No?"

I have to say, this new version of Bella is kick ass. From the pause I heard Jacob was equally shocked.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"There's nothing wrong with me, Jacob Black, I'm just sick of being treated like a child."

"Nobody treats you like a child, and what's this have to do with that _monster _in this house?"

I think I could hear Bella's mind snap at that, Leah looked to be having the time of her life over in the corner. Seems she and Jacob don't get along too well; or they just enjoy each other's humiliation. Either way, Bella let loose, and it was pretty brutal.

"Monster? _Monster?! _You have the audacity to call her a monster?! That 'monster' has been more honest than you and the Cullen's have _ever _been with me. When I ask her a question, I don't get vague melodramatic answers, I don't get bullshit, I get what she thinks."

"N-Now wai-"

"No! You don't get to tell me to wait, or to calm down! You're going to stand there and finally fucking listen to what I have to say! I am through being lied to, and I'm through being told how to live my life! You, my self-proclaimed best friend, didn't have the courage to tell me what you were and instead led me on some round-about explanation that wasn't anywhere near the truth!"

"Would you stop to-"

"Do not make me repeat myself Black. To top it all off, the vampires who claimed to see me as equal have hidden _everything _from me; from their view on my relationship to what they did to Natalie. Did you know they would have killed her if she tried to leave? I sure didn't; did you know that there's a vampire government? One that has the power to wipe you off the face of the Earth? One they told you and me NOTHING about!"

"Wh-Wha-"

"So, no, Jacob, you are not going to stop me. You are going to stand aside and let me see my _friend _before I finally snap and try to slap you again. That or I'm calling Leah down here, she'll keep you out."

Speaking of Leah, she was already making her way out to apparently turn away or welcome the new bad-ass Bella. From the stuttering Jacob followed by Leah's cackling I could tell Bella was the one making her way up the steps.

Seeing the door open, I saw Bella storm into Leah's little room before facing me. The rage instantly drained from her face and she was at my bedside faster than I thought possible. What happened to her clumsiness? Did rage make her more powerful or something?

"I'm going to kill him when I go down there. What on earth did they do to you?"

"I still look like shit?"

"Natalie, you look like you've been run over by a truck and pieced back together. Looking like shit is nothing compared to this."

Well, it seems the Cullen coven has yet to learn the virtue of honesty. They didn't tell her that they were the ones who did this to me.

"To be honest, the shifters didn't do anything-"

"Do not say what you're about to."

"-Emmett, Jasper, and Alice reduced me to this. Though, I don't think Alice is doing much better."

She face planted onto the mattress and groaned.

"Mor fuchs fphake."

I just chuckled a bit, more giggle than anything, but I do not giggle. She looked up and just looked tired; I didn't blame her.

"Ya know, I've known you less than anyone else here, and you're more of a friend than all of them."

"Well. I mean, really? I haven't been that nice."

"Maybe not, but you always told me what you thought, and you respected my opinions even when you didn't agree with them. Apparently no one else can be honest with me. So...thank you."

Our eyes met, and I swore she was staring into my soul.

"I...you're welcome."

All was quiet, but I could still hear breathing downstairs. One sounded pretty pissed.

"Natalie, can they hear us?"

"I'm not sure, but probably. I can hear them breathing with my crippled senses."

"Well. That explains why you're not jumping me...hold on."

She began to fumble around with her pockets, and after a few seconds pulled out what appeared to be a blood pack. Then another, and another! They weren't your standard pack, they were much smaller, but I did not care at all. Nope, was not complaining about this one bit.

Putting her finger to her lips, Bella gave me the four small blood sacks she hid in her pockets. How did she get these? Who knows. Who cares? Not me, that's for sure. So I took the four sacks of life and drained them with reckless abandon.

I think I might have moaned, but I honestly couldn't tell and didn't care. All I knew was this blood tasted amazing, and I could already feel my skin begin to sew itself shut as my senses returned to their normal levels.

"What the fuck are they doing up there?"

"She's YOUR imprint. Bella is having a hissy fit, so you go check."

"Not entirely sure I want to."

A sigh.

"Leah, I know this is going to be difficult for you to accept, it's been hard for everyone to accept, but she's your imprint. There isn't a way for you to get outa this."

"Jacob, you know my feelings on imprinting."

"Yea yea, you don't want your life ruled by it, yada yada. You can't deny the feelings you have forever, especially since she can just use them against you."

A pregnant pause, one that I think I could hear Jacob's mind turning through.

"...Leah, if Natalie really wanted to, she could already have you...do not tell me she's being respectful about this. Please, it might crush my whole 'vampires are evil' complex."

"Errr, yeah, yeah she's kinda trying to keep outa it."

"God-damnit."

"I wish I could hear like you."

What?

Coming out of my semi-conscious listening state, my blank stare regained focus as Bella started longingly at me. Ah, she must be referring to my ability to listen in on conversations so well. She did really want to be a vampire.

I do awe her a ton for this blood, and for being an unexpected ally in this clusterfuck. If anyone deserved to be a vampire, it was Bella Swan.

Time to live up to my word.

"Give me a pencil and paper."

"Uhm. Yea, sure."

Handing me a paper and pencil after the rummaged around a bit, Bella watched as I wrote the words I may later regret or love.

_Memorize this; I'm going to shred this later._

_Number: 884-3057_

_My number, call if you need __anything__. Don't put this in your phone now, they may try to check it. _

_Yes, this includes changing you. _

Handing over the paper, I stood and finally stretched my limbs for the first time in seemingly forever. I wasn't nearly as tall as those giants downstairs, but the room seemed small even to me. Native Reservations really got the short end of the stick when it came to both history and compensation.

That being said, it was rather amusing to see Bella jitter in excitement as she reread my little note over and over. I did have a question though; just where the hell had this Bella come from?

"Hey, Bella, not to dampen the mood, but where did all that come from earlier?"

"Oh. You heard that?"

"Yea, you really thrashed him." I heard a snicker and grunt at that.

Bella looked down for a moment before meeting my eyes with her brown orbs filled with determination.

"Just like I said, I'm tired of being treated like an idiot. This is my life to live, and the more I let others control it the less life I live. With what you've revealed to me...I just realized how much of a doormat I was being. I broke up with Edward before I came here, he knew all along that you were being forced to stay. Him hiding that from me...well, it put the final nail in the coffin of our relationship."

Damn, I expected as much, but it was pretty awesome to hear. Watch out world, one new and improved Bella is coming in guns blazing! Did I mention how energetic I was now that I could MOVE? I might have, oh well.

"Jacob, Leah, the elders have decided. Get Swan outa here so we can all go to the fire pit."

"Roger roger stick up my ass."

"That was pretty lame Jacob, you need better material."

"Shut it Leah, better than the shit you used to call em."

"Hey! Uncalled fo-"

"_Stop._"

Silence.

Refocusing my attention, I found Bella staring out the window.

"Well, it's been a pleasure Isabella, but I fear this may be the last you see of me for some time."

Instantly snapping her head in my direction, Bella's eyes gleamed with that intelligence I grew to admire.

"You don't think the elders will uphold your bond?"

"Not at all, how did you know about that?"

She just smirked, when did she get so cocky?

"Well, they can't kill you, so expect me to try and find you later on in life. Even with you trying to get me killed, you've been more of a friend than most of my other supernatural family members. Seriously, thank you."

Suddenly she was embracing me, and I couldn't find it in me to find her scent mouthwatering anymore. Gently returning her hug, I closed my eyes and smiled. This may have been the only good thing to have come from my extended stay here.

I was going to legitimately miss this girl, for one reason or another we seemed to be kindred souls.

Isabella just made an ally, one I was going to make sure she didn't regret having.

"Guk. Leah, you totally got one-uped by Swan."

Like the gentlemen they were, the shifters ruined this lovely moment of bonding. Ending the hug with an embarrassed blush, Bella just waved and moved by the gargantuan Natives and shot out of the home. I really hope I get to see her again.

Jacob looked ready to hurl, with Sam trying not to chuckle, and Leah...

Leah looked between pissed and confused. Was she jealous? That was a funny thought, and I discarded it the moment it reared its ugly and hope filled head. Damn hope, trying to get me down. I didn't want to be reminded about the horror story my love life was becoming, nor did I want to know what my fate was to be.

Expulsion, death, or acceptance.

Time to see which will greet me.

* * *

**Natalie is really good at repression, isn't she? Shame that emotional black hole might never be filled.**

**Expect next update to be REALLY slow, I'm falling behind on my main account, and my duty is to that account first. **

**As always, reviews are welcome. **


	7. Verdict

**So...I've just realized how much this is deviating from the actual story-line. I might have to start making original enemies and conflicts. How lovely. In other news, I'm still neglecting my main account. Also, sorry that this story isn't as polished grammatically as my normal content, I hope this chapter represents a change in that. **

**Why do some people fav but not follow? Is this a thing?**

**This is in no way intended to be an accurate portrayal of Native culture. I like realism, just not enough to get a degree in human geography and cultures. **

**Announcement of new feature. Quotes are now being added for dramatic flair and to describe the situation Natalie finds herself it...mainly for dramatics though. Also, no, my vampires DO NOT sparkle. I'll explain the sun and it's affect next chapter. If anyone is wondering why that...feature of Twilight has yet to be addressed. **

**I did not forget about Victoria, James, and that black vampire. Do not worry. c;**

**Disclaimer: I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I would really appreciate reviews on this one. **

_"Never enough!_

_Who I am is not good enough!_

_Never enough. Who I am!" _- Starset, 'Carnivore'

Just A Nomad

It was time to face my fate, be it death or expulsion. I wasn't under the delusion that they would accept me, that was laughable at best. Why would the heads of this 'anti-vampire' ideology even seriously consider taking one in as their own?

The answer is simple, they wouldn't.

However, Sam did a double take as we were about to leave this overly cramped upstairs. About time he noticed my improved physical state.

"Did Swan give you blood?"

"Define 'give'."

His face turned dark and before I knew it he was on me, lifting my much shorter frame up by my dirty and ruined shirt so I could see his furious eyes. Okay, being a smart ass and saying that was not the smartest thing, especially when that could be taken as me forcing her to give me blood.

"Look here, leech, you're Leah's imprint, and you now have a responsibility to her. You can make or break her, and I will not let you break her, so cut the shit and take this seriously."

A sudden anger filled me, one I wasn't sure was my own, and it fueled my response.

"I don't owe you or her anything. Do you think for a second that _any _of this I wanted? I didn't want to come here, I didn't want to stay, and I sure didn't want to be rejected by my mate. So get off your high-horse, Leah's hurt me more than you'll ever be able to."

Stinging words, but none could be truer. Leah had hurt me, she continued to, and she always will. For him to act like I owed these people something...that was just far too stupid for me to tolerate. I didn't owe them anything, nor did I have some kind of responsibility, it was all just a pile of bull.

He didn't seem to agree.

"I don't care what you want! I care that you're causing Leah pain, and it's your duty as imprintee to fix it."

"I'm not the one rejecting people; Leah has only herself to blame."

"You ungrateful little bast-"

"Sam, drop it. Please."

And now Leah had the audacity to act all hurt and conflicted. Are you kidding me? She made her thoughts perfectly clear no more than an hour ago, and now that I told the truth, the truth that she _knew_, she suddenly got all clammy?

I loved the woman, but damnit did she ever piss me off with that. Either accept or reject, I was not about to play lost puppy as she juggled her options. For one that was just degrading, and two I didn't want a pity relationship. I wanted one based in reality, not some contrived sense of duty or morality.

I...I just wanted to be legitimately wanted, was that so hard to ask?

At least her little fit had gotten Sam to lay off, Jacob look really conflicted about the whole thing. At least he got it, or at least seemed to. He wasn't the brightest one, if I recall correctly, but an overall good guy. Not that that meant anything, some of the nicest people on the planet are some of the dumbest ones.

I might be being needlessly aggressive in my thoughts, as well as more than a little bitter, but at least I was good at hiding it. I am not liking this new emotional side of me, one that seemed to spawn the moment I got imprinted on.

...

I'm going to have to look into that. If this mating changed brain chemistry then maybe I coul-

"Natalie, time to come outa lala land and get a move on."

So maybe Jacob isn't as nice as Bella made him out to be. That or I'm overly sensitive to banter at the moment. Without acknowledging the shifter teen I moved passed him and followed after Sam and Leah, who had apparently stormed out not more than a second ago.

"So, what ya want in this meeting?"

Conversation? Really? Fine.

"I want to end this charade for the farce it is. I already know what the answer is, you should too."

"Maybe, but, that wasn't what I asked."

Did doggy have a brain? Okay, yea, I'm more than a little miffed right now. It was either this or be eternally depressed. Honestly, this might end up destroying me. I have yet to really accept this whole conundrum, to be ordered permanently away from Leah. It. It might very well kill me emotionally.

Not that I've ever been an overly emotional person until recently, but can you really blame me? It's not every day your mate, whose a complete different species than you, utterly rejects you AND your only friends beat you into a near death state.

"Jacob, it doesn't matter what I want. Me and Leah aren't going to be together. Ever. It's best we both try to move on."

His face screwed up into the most obnoxious image I've ever seen.

"You really think that? Leech, you don't really understand how imprinting works, but it's easy to see she feels for you. You just have to fight."

He didn't get it, he'd been fighting for Bella's affection for so long he probably never would, but I tried to explain anyway. Leah and Sam have yet to be seen, and I'm just trailing behind Jacob as we walked into this wood, so I wasn't too concerned about others hearing.

"I don't want to be some lost puppy begging for affection and attention. Have you no self-respect?"

"If that's how you see relationships, then I really do pity you. Love at first sight theoretically exists, it just takes both for it to fully bloom. Sure, you're in a pretty unique situation, but that doesn't mean you still can't try."

As if I hadn't been?

"Are you really going to say I haven't tried?"

"Uuuuh. Yea, have you even thought for a second how this looks to us? Sure, you have your reasons, but think about it for a minute."

"Think about what? How Leah rejects me due to my very existence? Or how she loathes my personal beliefs?"

"Well, first you hold Bella hostage- Wait! Don't you interrupt me! Which was...understandable. But then you mate with Leah and you, what? What did you do? You apologized and ran away. What does that look like? Hmmm? Looks like rejection at first glance."

That. That made some sense. Too much sense.

Had I really fucked this up just as much as Leah had?

"Then you go and get fucked up by the Cullens. We save you, you and Leah share some thoughts, but not once do either of you try and truly connect. Alright, that's okay too, was a REALLY stressful environment and all. But, then you both go and mess up with that conversation upstairs. Not once did you try and tell her that you love her."

"Why would I need to? And how do you know this?"

"Gimme some credit, you two are more alike than you think. Anyway. Leah only knows that you're heartbroken, not _why _you feel the way you do. She pry thinks you don't want her as much as she doesn't want you, so she feels better about it."

"Jacob, I think she knows I care. Don't assume to know everything, I may not have outright said it but I heavily implied it."

"Eh. She's got a thick skull, if I'm to be honest I'm kinda rooting for you two. Most of the pack is excluding Paul. But that's because Paul is Paul. Honestly the guy-"

"Black, you ramble like no other. What are you, some school-girl?"

"Spirits, you two are far too similar for comfort. From the bitchy attitude to sassy comments."

"I aim to please."

"Ugh. Let's get this thing over with so we can all move on with our lives. I'm pretty sure they'll uphold the imprint, it would be pretty bad if they didn't. I mean, override the spirits of old? That would be a very big first."

"You realize I'm following you, right? Looks to me like we've been walking in circles."

Jacob looked rather ashamed of himself, and I did not find this to be entertaining.

"Yeaaaaaa. Bout that. Might have done that so we could talk for a bit, might explain why you haven't seen the other two."

"You really are a gossip-girl."

A sigh. "At least you're much less crude when it comes to insults."

"Your vocabulary is surprisingly advanced for someone your age. Is that school here high quality?"

"...I'm going to pretend you didn't just insult my intelligence. No, the schools here suck, we are just fortunate enough to get special teaching outside of school due to our special status."

"You're just trying to show off, aren't you?"

"Maybe a little."

"Ihre Sprachkenntnisse nicht beeindrucken."

"...What?"

I just smirked. German was such a fun language to speak in.

"Are we going to go to this meeting, or do you wish for more gossip?"

"Well..."

He ran a hand through his short hair.

"I guess we can start moving in the right direction. Sam and Leah are doing this too, so don't think I'm unique when it comes to this."

I was skeptical of that.

"I somehow doubt Leah and Sam of all people would indulge in such useless things."

"You haven't known them for as long as I have. Trust me, Sam loves him some drama."

"And Leah?"

At this he seemed to clam up, and his eyes darted about nervously. What was he hiding?

"Jacob, are you hiding something?"

"For someone who claims drama to be beneath them, you sure are curious about it."

I glared at his back.

"Unless you have some eye powers, that glare burning into my back won't do anything. We run at a solid 110 degrees."

"There's a difference in seeking out drama and it being given to you. You, dear wolf, mislead me so you could get information on personal matters. I am simply asking what you hide."

"You love being obtuse, don't you?"

"Answer the bloody question you nincompoop."

"Hey now, we are actually getting close, no need to be so hostile."

"I can see that, we are still a fair distance away."

Indeed we were, but my vision could still make out what lie ahead for me. A fire-pit with nothing but ashes lay in the center of a congregation, ceremonial headgear and clothing were being worn by the elders, who sat before the ash filled pit with masks of apathy. The rest of the pack, indeed excluding Leah and Sam, were also there. Paul and another named Jarred, if my memory served correctly. Which it always did.

Many other natives surrounded the elders, and they too were eerily silent. All of them wore traditional clothing, so Jacob, I, Leah, and Sam would be the only ones in modern clothing. Odd, that those three wouldn't be wearing anything ceremonial.

On closer inspection, the other two wolves wore simple shorts and t-shirts.

That was odd indeed.

"Black, why do you and your kin not wear ceremonial clothing for this? Everyone else wears it."

He just shook his head, mumbling words in a native tongue I did not understand. That was the end of our conversation, the rest of our time was spent in a tense or awkward silence. Which it was, I couldn't tell, but it was obvious I'd hit a nerve of some sort.

Why did they not wear the traditional clothing? Was it considered taboo for wolves/shifters to wear such things? If so, why was that? They were seen as gifts from the spirits, so why were they not allowed to participate?

More questions that will never be answered.

The trees thinned, and soon we were in the clearing this congregation was at. Leah and Sam arrived the same time we did, only coming from the opposite direction. We must have walked quite the circle. The people parted and allowed us to pass, the three elders continued to sit in silence. Now that I had a much closer look, i saw that none of them met the stereotype for things like this.

None of the three men were old beyond description or thought, one even looked to be in his thirties. He also looked quite like Jacob, with another elder looking remarkably similar to Leah. Not that she was masculine, but my advanced vision could clearly make out what was shared between the two. Could that be Jacob and Leah's fathers?

My chances of staying might have improved a bit, if Jacob's attitude towards this was to say anything.

"Natalie Albrook."

The third was one I'd never seen before, and one I had no reference to. Just another older Native American male.

"Please, sit. We have much to discuss."

I restrained my want to scoff. I was going to as dignified in my expulsion as possible, show these people just how wrong they were about me and my "monstrous" tendencies. Sitting down opposite of the three leaders, I heard the wolves move and stand behind me, but I did not look back to see why. Likely to restrain me, intolerant lot these people were.

"Today, we are gathered to determine the fate of this Cold One, for the spirits have deemed it necessary to test us this day."

And so began the monologue, the one-sided argument designed to sway those with doubt.

"Our only female wolf, Leah Clearwater, has imprinted on a Cold One. The one before us, to be specific. From what we've gathered from the Cullen's, we also know that Natalie has done the Cold One version of imprinting on Leah. This makes their bond remarkably strong, so strong that even with both parties rejecting it Leah could still feel that her mate was under attack."

Murmurs spread through the crowd, each having their own opinion on the matter. Then Jacob's father spoke, and all was silent again.

"As we all know, the spirits of our ancestors guide those who have been chosen to be wolf. They are the ones who choose their mates. They have deemed it necessary to give Leah to a Cold One. The council has already decided, but it is of my own opinion that the two should be allowed to live in peace."

Then it was Leah's father.

"However, we all know too well that legend and spirit alike have proclaimed how evil and despicable the Cold Ones are; they cannot be trusted, especially not with someone as precious as our protectors. However, due to my status as Leah's father, I cannot make a decision that is in the tribe's best interest. I withdraw myself from the council's voting."

Finally, the last of the three spoke, and everyone was holding their breath.

"I have always been for the tolerance of our neighbors; but that is due to their feeding habits. The one before us has no feelings of regret or guilt for those she has killed. For this sole reason, it can be said that the spirits have finally made a mistake. We cannot allow the one known as Natalie to become a part of this tribe, or allow her to live here. She goes against our reason for being; defend the people from Cold Ones. Since the council is in stalemate, we leave it to the four wolves who can vote to decide."

Behind me, two sets of feet moved forward, and two stayed. A few gasps were uttered, and I heard Jacob growl at Jarred's refusal to support me and Leah. Not that this was a venture Leah was actually invested in, it was more just support of me and me alone.

"With the protectors split, we must now go to the tribe to decide. This has...never happened before, in our long history. Peoples of the tribe, we ask that those in favor of upholding the bond please step forward."

Shuffling was done, whispering heard, but from what I can see it was surprisingly orderly for something that had never happened before. The circle around us seemed rather split, with many being unable to bring themselves to discredit their 'spirits' choice, insisting that it was the right one despite how it may appear. Yet, there were many more who saw this mating as a complete mishap, be it a misinterpretation or total mistake, it was not to be upheld.

In the end, it was not the decision of three powerful leaders that condemned me as I had first thought. Rather, it was the tribe that did not approve, would not approve, and refused to shelter someone like me. One who was unapologetic about their views, one who was confident to own what they did, one who stood by their individualism.

One who would not conform to their bullshit.

Jacob's, and even Leah's father looked sober at the decision. With the mystery man in the middle looking rather pleased. I heard Jacob gasp, and Sam seemed to seethe in disappointment or anger. Leah looked on blankly, and I could feel myself start to panic. What were they going to do with me?

"Thank you, people of the tribe, for ending this stalemate."

Looking right at me, the leader of leaders in this cult looked me right in the eye as he delivered my fate.

"You, Natalie Albrook, are hereby sentenced to exile outside of Forks. You are forbidden to see or communicate with Leah, or any of the pack, from this moment onward. You cannot stay here for any longer, and you are not under any protection of ours. If you violate any of these terms, then you are subject to physical harm and eradication. Do you understand and accept this?"

I felt an unusual urge to rave and rage against the decision made. It was very uncharacteristic of me, and just about confirmed my suspicion on brain manipulation or chemical changes due to this mating.

It would explain how the love at first sigh came to be, but not the how or why. From my extensive knowledge of vampire biology, vampire semen is sterile and the menstration cycle is slowed to a snails pace.

Having a period once every 6 months is quite the improvement.

Huh. I felt more myself now more than ever recently. And then it dawned on me.

I was was being banished from Forks for eternity.

I was being forbidden from seeing my mate for as long as she lived.

The Cullens appear to have slandered me, staining relations with these elders forever and killing any chance I had.

I was losing everything. Everything I'd gained here was being ripped away by a specieist tribe of ignorant, illiterate people who thought spirits decided who you mated with.

As the ridiculousness was fully realized, I began to feel a bitter hated begin to build.

"Natalie, I ask again. Do you understand and accept these terms?"

"Come on guys, this ain't right."

"Jacob Black, are you challenging the tribe's decision?"

"Damn ri-"

"Son, don't do this. Not here."

And so another voice was silenced.

"You would rip everything away from me, just because I am a vampire?"

The elder met my challenge with a cool temperament.

"No, not just for your existence do we do this. You kill people, murder them. You don't care that you do. This goes against our very reason for having guardians, and since you won't change, we aren't allowing you to stay. This is a mercy only granted due to your imprintee status. I don't hate your kind for existing, I hate what most Cold Ones do to survive, thrive. We don't like what you do, and since we have the power to, we are exiling you."

I just narrowed my eyes and held my tongue, they obviously didn't care about moral standings or ideologies with this. They didn't like me, so they were kicking me out. How childish.

"I understand, and you won't be seeing me again."

He nodded.

"Good, we thank you for leaving in peace. You have a few hours before we will permit our protectors to do as they are obligated to. May the spirits guide you on your journey."

I just got up and left, not letting any see my eyes, for they might have seen how devastated I was. It felt like with this order my world was going to crumble, down to the finest of powders and never have a hope in hell of ever resurrecting. Just. The simple fact that I couldn't interact with my mate again alone was enough to devastate me.

I felt like crying, and for the first time in hundreds of years my eyes became wet, only for water to never fall. I couldn't even be bothered to wonder why we are incapable of shedding tears. I just bolted out of the territory once I was a few feet away from the very silent people-shifter court.

My clothes dirty and ripped, heart breaking, and self-pity building, I went to my last remaining friend.

Isabella Swan.

Have you ever loved someone enough to die for them? Enough to pledge the rest of eternity away to them? To literally give an arm for?

Have you ever had that someone ripped away from you? Or perhaps realized they didn't feel the same?

The pain. The physical pain of knowing such things was almost enough to make me stumble. Running around the town and arriving at the little home I'm going to inexplicably miss, I listened for signs of life, and found Bella to be alone in her room. Her dad worked himself ragged to provide for the both of them, and save up for college.

Climbing the siding with relative ease, I tapped on the window and waited. The window was opened, and I flew in as Bella stepped back. The teenager took one look at me and seemed to know what was going to happen. Her eyes filled with uncharacteristic rage, and she closed the distance between us as I stood in self-pity.

"Those bastards won't get away with this Natalie. I promise you that."

I looked away.

"T-They already have..."

Embracing me, only this time much more confidently, Bella tried her best to comfort me.

"No, they haven't. Trust me, this isn't over."

I truly wanted to believe her, but right now it was getting rather hard to think straight. Clasping my arms around her figure, I took as much care as I could to not crush her and dryly sobbed into her shoulder. Thank the Gods Charlie wasn't home, because I think the neighbors might be able to hear me.

Call me melodramatic if you will, but I think having the ONE person who can make you happy ripped away as they stand in apathy is rather traumatizing. At least for me. You might be emotionally dead, but I have yet to reach that point. At some point we made it to the bed, but the passage of time was lost on me.

"How l-long has it been?"

"Not long, about 15 minutes. How long do you have?"

"To be safe, I think an hour."

I believe Bella might have growled at that.

"I'll get the others to make this right."

"...From what I know, they might have helped."

I could hear her heart rapidly accelerate, and she began to shake.

"They didn't..."

"The elder said they consulted the Cullens. This verdict was given, so I assume they did all they could. If they did anything at all."

Huh. Cuddling with a human isn't nearly as bad as I would have thought. I usually killed those I had relations with, for very obvious reasons.

"Where are you going to go?"

"Well. I'm banished from Forks for eternity, and I can't have any contact with the shifters. Seattle will be my destination for some time to come. I can't. I can't go too much farther due to...due to my connection with Leah."

Moving to get up, I let Bella leave the bed as she rummaged around some of her drawers. I was feeling much better after the small breakdown, not happy or exited. More mellow than anything.

"Well, you can't go in those rags. I stowed some of my bum clothes away when Alice came to 'stylize' my wardrobe. I think they'll meet your standards."

"You can't say she doesn't have good taste."

"Yea...but we both just hate the effort of wearing such things. Honestly I-Here we are!"

Pulling out a generic white short sleeve, the teen looked a bit more thoroughly and found a grey pair of sweats.

Ahhhh. Sweat pants, my not so guilty pleasure. Then she blushed beyond belief, and I had to suppress a chuckle.

"Uhm. I don't think my-errr-my bra will fit you. I have boxers you can take though."

"You weren't kidding when you said bum clothes, were you?"

"Whatever! Take em and change."

"Fine fine."

Flashing up, I stood next to Bella and proceeded to take my clothes off.

"N-Natalie! Not in front of me!"

Stopping myself from unclasping my ruined bra, I looked blankly at the embarrassed Swan for a few seconds.

"Fine. Whatever. Here."

Throwing the clothes at me with a huff, Bella sat down on her bed and faced the opposite direction.

How adorable.

Finishing my task-I simply decided to go with a bra- I looked down at my shoes with a frown. I was going to have to buy a pair once I got to Seattle.

"You can look now, you prude. I'm sure Alice had quite the time with you when it came to this."

Turning around and facing me once again, Bella's blush doubled.

"I'd rather not talk about it. That girl is the queen of sexual innuendos."

I gave a non-committal sound.

"Can't say she isn't sexy in that petite girl way."

And so her face became a tomato; she neglected to comment any further on that matter.

"Hey..."

She calmed herself down, and waited for me to continue.

"Thank you. I know we've already gone over this, but thank you. You've been...you've be quite the pleasure to be around, surprisingly enough."

Swan gave a beaming smile.

"Who said this is goodbye? I'm not a shifter, and Seattle is within driving distance. Don't think I won't try to visit or keep in touch; might even drag my friends here along too. We could all have a good time."

"I'm assuming you meant your human friends?"

"At this point, they might be the only ones I have."

I heard the pain she was trying to hide, and I felt truly sorry for causing all this with my rash actions. Had I just stopped to think for a second more I might have been able to see the problems with my plan on evacuating Bella in the first place. Thus avoiding this shit-storm.

"I'm sorry about this."

He smile began to fade.

"It's not all your fault. You tried to protect me, and in the process my abnormal blood messed everything up. After looking over it, I can see why you did what you did with the shifters. I don't blame you for it."

"You're too good of a person Bella, get some character flaws."

"Har har. Now get moving, I'll call you later to see if everything's gone over smooth enough."

"As you wish, your majesty."

With that, I jumped out of the window and began my sprint away from this hell of a place.

Seattle, here I come.

* * *

**Again, don't know how I feel about this chapter. I ask you review this one if none of the others. **

**Till next time. **


End file.
